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Northwest Wind Forecast Resources

See below for forecast resources. Note these numbers rarely ever translate to what you will see on the water. It can take years of watching forecasts and sensor readings to get a true idea of what it all means. Good luck!

Columbia River Gorge

For more information on Gorge rinding rules and guidelines, check out our Hood River Sandbar Guide.

Gorge Wind Sensors - NWWind.net
Any westerly readings greater than 14mph usually means its on for spots starting from Hood River east. For easterlies watch Corbett, Troutdale, and Rooster Rock. Count for wind speeds 10-15 mph greater than these on the water.

Stevenson Cam - Skamania County Chamber of Commerce
Stevenson usually offers more moderate conditions than the rest of the Gorge, and smoother wind. Primetime for this spot is between 3pm and 6pm, after 6pm wind tends to drop off. This cam looks right at the kiteboarding spot. If its whitecapping, go! If its socked in with clouds and rain, check further east.

Hood River Sandbar Cam - gorge.net
Great cam that shows the sandbar and sky conditions of Hood River.

Slingshot Sandbar Cam - slingshotsports.com
Real-time moveable camera for Hood River sandbar!

The Dalles 48 Hour - NOAA, USAirnet
Any kind of westerly prediction greater than 10 usually means it will be rideable somewhere in the Gorge. Days where wind speeds predicted are 20 mph or more, usually mean a nuker.

The Dalles 5 Day - Wunderground
This one is a good way to gauge rain, sunshine, and temps in the next week. You can usually count on everything east of Hood River being about the same as The Dalles, with conditions trending towards dryer and warmer the further east you go in the summer.

The Dalles Cam - USFS Air Quality
Good way to guage cloud cover east of Hood River. Glassy water and fog are not good signs, but make sure you check again later in the day. Gorge primetime is 3pm-6pm. If you are stuck in the clouds and rain in Portland in the spring, check this cam, chances are good you will probably see some sun. Thanks to the Cascades the eastern Gorge sees half as much rain as Portland does, and its only an hour away.

Rooster Rock Cam

Troutdale 48 Hour - NOAA, USAirnet
Great easterly forecast. Anything 12mph or above predicted is usually a good sign that Rooster Rock will go. Average wind speeds at Rooster Rock are usually in the mid to high twenties, so bring your small kites. Rooster Rock is more of a morning/mid-day spot, so try to get there by noon. Easterlies usually die off around 3pm.

Columbia River Water Temp - Bonneville Dam
A good tool for guaging current water temps. The Columbia River gets as warm as 70+ degrees in late August, and below 40 during the winter.

Temira Forecast - Human Forecast from Temira

Gorge Kite Forecast - Human Forecast from GorgeKite.com

Sauvie Island

For directions, tips, rules, and guidelines for Sauvies, check out our Sauvie Island Guide.

Wind Sensors - NWWind.net
Watch Scappoose and Fremont Bridge sensors. The Fremont Bridge sensor is the most often updated and usually gives the first sign that Sauvies is going to go. Watch for Scappoose being 10 N or more, and the Fremont sensor gusting over 15mph. The Sauvie sensor itself is on a bit of a time delay and tends to read much lower than water speeds. Sauvies prime time is 5pm till sunset, making it a perfect for the 9-5 Portland cube dweller.

Scappoose 48 Hour - NOAA, USAirnet
Maybe the best Sauvie Island forecast there is, watch for N-NW winds predicted to be 10 or over. Late summer you need more wind to make up for less outgoing current, so look for higher wind speeds to avoid a skunk. Any day in Portland that has warm conditions and sunny clear skies usually means Sauvies will go. The one exception is any day where heavy easterlies blow in the Gorge, on those days Sauvies rarely blows.

St. Helens Tide Tables - findU
Yes ocean tides affect the Columbia all the way up by Sauvies. You want an outgoing tide, it will make an upwind current that will make staying upwind easier.

Jones Beach

For directions, tips, rules, and guidelines for Jones, check out our Jones Beach Guide.

Wind Sensors - NWWind.net
Watch Kelso sensor and Astoria -> Kelso pressure difference. Jones generally blows based off of the temperature difference between Astoria and Portland. Average summer days where Portland is 70-100, and Astoria is 55-65, you can count on afternoon Jones wind. Look for at least a 10 degree temp difference and no easterly pressure. Summer evenings Jones Beach (and especially Nuclear Alley) is one of the windiest places in the Gorge. Don't let the low reading IWindsurf sesnor fool you, look at the gust rating for the average wind speed.

Kelso 48 Hour - NOAA, USAirnet
Look for sun and warmer temps (70+), arrows should indicate a west or north west wind (pointed to the right.)

Oregon Coast

Looking for more information on Oregon Coast launches? Take a look at our Oregon Coast / Sunset Beach Guide.

NW Coastal Wind Sensors - NWWind.net
North and Northwest wind generally means nice sunny conditions, south and southwest usually means clouds and rain. Any signs of 10mph or more can mean its rideable. Beware winter SW'erly wind as it can go up and down quickly. For Oregon watch Clatsop Spit sensor for riding summer time northerlies at Sunset Beach.

Oregon Coast Cams - OregonSurf.com

North Oregon/South Washington Marine Forecast - NOAA

South Oregon Marine Forecast - NOAA

Newport 48 Hour - NOAA, USAirnet

Tides Forecast - NOAA

Other Services

WindOnTheWater.com
Free sensors in a Google Map updated in real-time, also has WAP support.

IWindsurf
Access human reviewed wind and weather forecasts from your web browser, as well as WAP (cell phone) and pager support.