Reading Columbia River weather

T

thechadmiller

New member
Being such a novice boater, I'm learning quickly that I don't know much about reading weather conditions and how they'll actually effect conditions in the Columbia River, especially out in the Gorge.

Any rough guidelines regarding windspeed/direction and how it effects the conditions? I know less is better windspeed-wise, but this morning it didn't seem that windy, but it was a super swell-choppy mess.

thanks.
 
Howdy Chad, and welcome to the world of weather prognostication. You didn't say where it was the choppy mess and the lower Columbia could be Portland and downstream, or even up to Hood River. The "Gorge" might indicate HR, Cascade Locks region, which will always have some breeze greater than perceptible in Portland. That will probably start in the Bonneville dam region and the velocity will increase as you travel east until upwards of the Dalles. This will be true with an easterly pattern. Down river from Portland it is not so much unless it is in a west wind pattern, then you will probably have more chop than in the Portland area because of the west hills protection.

Good luck, and enjoy boating in your comfort zone.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
I'm no weather nor Columbia River expert, but your unusually choppy and confused wave/swell pattern is probably caused the westward current flow of the river running against the eastward wind flowing up the Columbia River Canyon.

When the current flow opposes the wind wave pattern, the waves stand/stack up and are much more treacherous than when they run in the same direction and the current lays down the wind waves into smooth gentle wavelets.

This is a classic problem all over the world where tidal flows oppose wind patterns, and especially amplified by the long fetches afforded by the long reaches of the canyon, becoming confused at bends in the river and its flow, and amplified by any changes in depth and other bottom contours.

Existing wave patterns can also be reflected off steep cliff river walls where they exist. Additionally, whirlpool like river flows at bends can also add a nice "washing machine" effect (!)

Using the above as a predictor along with knowledge of your present wind and the anticipated afternoon build up from interior heating (a sea-land breeze) , one should be able to look at a map of the river at predict where the confused wave build ups will be. The exact amount of trouble will depend upon the river current and wind speed.

With time and experience, you'll be able to anticipate the conditions in advance fairly well, and know when and where to be or not to be, or at least understand what's happening where you are at most any time, and what your options are.

With that experience, you'll be able to "read the waves" and wind, and understand whats happening around you. (I got mine on San Francisco Bay!)

At least, that's my best guess, from a guy in Redding, CA. :lol:

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
The Columbia is a bit of a mess at times and difficult to predict. As a general rule of thumb it seems calmer in the morning and more turbulent on the afternoon. It calms back down in the evening. I am not sure why but in the last 5 years or so of boating out here that seems to be the consensus. The gorge from a couple miles west of the dam east can be quite rough at times and the direction of the waves unclear. I attribute this to the deep channel that has to wind around. In some ways the Columbia is less predictable than other waters because you have wind, deep currents and the dams (and their flow rate) to contend with. The beauty tho - if you don’t like the conditions pull over make lunch wait it out and an hour or two later it may be a whole different scene. I love the Columbia in my back yard but like anything else patience pays off. No sense in rushing, enjoy the ride. Whatever you do don’t underestimate it. Better safe than sorry.

Funny thing - I was all worried about the San Juan’s thinking it would be worse than the Columbia - with 25-30 mile an hour winds and 4-5 foot wind waves outside anachortes I can say without a doubt the Columbia can get much tougher and will prepare you well.

H
 
The first leg of the Race to Alaska is from Port Townsend to Victoria, 40 miles and they have 36 hours to do that in. That is by planning. That 40 miles can be as rough as that video, and it is considered the washout leg. If they can't make it to Victoria in time, they don't do the rest (710 miles to Ketchikan).

Harold, I have to agree, the Columbia can be nasty, but I have never seen 20 foot waves there, and I have lived, boated and driven that river for half of my life, so though it may a good prep ground, the Columbia is no match for San Juans or the Strait of Juan.

The reality is that any water can be dangerous. Mother nature rarely looses the fight. You have to be prepared, ready and able, (see the thread Thataway started about the world cruisers who lost their boat in a roll over 185 miles off the WA/OR coast recently), to survive. Practice, practice study and practice IF you want to stay alive.

Joe's post is good river/weather knowledge. Use that info. Know your area, the weather patterns and topography and use that knowledge to your advantage. Know your limitations and respect them. And yes, the boat will handle much more than you will want to take.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Guys this wasn’t a my river is badder than your straight lol. I just meant to say the Columbia can be quite rough and challenging (from bar you know the graveyard of the pacific through gorge) and the waves can all sorts of confused. In all cases if it doesn’t look good wait it out. Is all I meant to say.

As to predictability - my wife and I went out a week ago with great forecast We were sunning having a great time when out of the blue comes a thunderstorm . Even when we saw the first lighting the forecast said calm and sunny. It was amazing to me to see how in 30 minutes the water can go from calm to rough/white caps and back to calm.

I use noaa marine forecasts, also have an app called sailflow for wind conditions, also being in Portland it rains a lot - I like to know when it may stop which RainAware does pretty well. Oh last but not least weatherbug has a lightning strike forecast tool.
Cheers,
h
 
There are some useful little bays along the way. It it gets rough south of bonneville there is a nice little cove by beacon rock on the Washington side with a nice dock and shore power. Once over the dam about 3/4 of the way to good river on the Washington side is a nice little cover and dock as well (no shore power). There are others along the way too. There protected areas are nice for waiting out weather.
 
Thanks everybody. The rough area was just west of Beacon Rock, sounds like that area is a regular spot for rough water.

It wasn't too crazy, just had to go slow. I mainly wish I could have predicted it better as we are trying to get our dogs used to the boat and they were very unhappy about that part of the trip.

Thanks again. Chad
 
Yeah it gets rough out there west of becon rock there as you pass the cliffs. What time were you out there ? Do you have trim tabs? I find I can work them to help keep the pounding to a minimum and allows me to push through the waves. My 23 Hull is a bit different tho. On my 18ft open bow boat that area was a bit knarly at times. dont slow down going down a wave as your nose will dive and the next wave will go over the bow. I find if I attack the waves at a slight angle it helps too vs straight. Last but not least I find if you hug the Oregon side of the river once you pass the cliffs on the Washington side the water is a bit calmer than in the channel or mid river just watch your chart plotter as there are some shallow areas. The tough part with the Columbia is how close together the waves are vs the big rolling waves you find in bigger waters. My two cents. my dog once jumped out off the bow on the channel near scapoose when we were taking a lunch break - the current is so swift there that he got scared I could see the pannic in his eyes - luckily a friend who was out back acted quickly and grabbed his collar. We now always have a life jacket on him as there is no way he can fight that current. Needless to say he never tried it again ;-)
 
I do have trim tabs, but so far, don't really know what to do them other than helping with level it out left/right when riding with a way unbalanced load. Didn't realize they could help with rough water.
 
thechadmiller":1czir1ea said:
I do have trim tabs, but so far, don't really know what to do them other than helping with level it out left/right when riding with a way unbalanced load. Didn't realize they could help with rough water.
Click to expand...


Up to a certain point, trim tabs will help maintain speed into choppy water by lowering the bow so the boat tends to cut into the waves instead of pounding over them. Hydrofoils, like the Permatrim, allow you to use engine tilt as a trimming device, as well.

Trim tabs are dynamic - the faster the boat is going, the quicker and more dramatic the effect of an adjustment will be. When the boat is sitting still, nothing will happen - port to starboard, or bow to stern - no matter how much you adjust the tabs. Experiment carefully until you get used to the effects, because a sudden tab adjustment at speed can be startling and dangerous.

If you use the tabs to put the bow down going into the waves, make certain you raise the bow in a following sea. Bow down when going with the waves is a very, very dangerous thing. That's a good way to learn all about bow steering and broaching.
 
It took me a while to learn how to use the trim tabs - I feel pretty confident now. I find I use them in conjunction with engine tilt - I played a lot with them when I got them - I agree with the last post they can be freaky depending on conditions - just don’t go flying with them deployed till you get the dynamics of them. Also I tend to ask my passengers to let me know when they move about the cab. With trim tabs deployed they(passengers) can vastly alter how the boat handles.
 
Ordutch1975":2g20xtq2 said:
It took me a while to learn how to use the trim tabs - I feel pretty confident now. I find I use them in conjunction with engine tilt - I played a lot with them when I got them - I agree with the last post they can be freaky depending on conditions - just don’t go flying with them deployed till you get the dynamics of them. Also I tend to ask my passengers to let me know when they move about the cab. With trim tabs deployed they(passengers) can vastly alter how the boat handles.
Click to expand...

Good idea, as passengers moving about "can vastly alter how the boat handles" even without trim tabs.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
I wasn't getting good reception on the VHF weather channel in Kyuquot Sound, so I asked a guide if he had heard. He pulled out his cell phone and gave me the report. I hadn't even thought about that. The local native community had a cell tower, so all of the internet weather sites were available and they are just a repeat of NOAA weather.

For Columbia Gorge weather, type the local zip code into Willy Weather (97058) and you've got the wind report and current conditions. Right now, you don't want to be out on Monday evening. Wednesday looks good.

https://wind.willyweather.com/or/wasco- ... alles.html

There are probably windsurfer websites that go into even more detail. Wind is now the economic engine of the Gorge.

Mark
 
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