| The weather in the Gorge is ideal almost year round. But the summer really shines! From May until October it almost never rains, and it's sunny and warm every day. Located on the east slope of the Cascade Mountain range in northwest Oregon, the Gorge was formed millennia ago as the giant glaciers melted at the end of the ice age. The flood that followed carried huge chunks of ice that hacked their way through the mountains on their way to the ocean. Today the steep walls of the Gorge drop down to the mighty Columbia River, the second largest river in the U.S. Cooler weather at the Oregon coast pushes its way inland during the summer months until it bumps up against the Cascade Range, and then funnels down the Gorge creating a venturi effect and those fabled "Nuclear Winds". |
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Summer temperatures are typically in the 80's in June and July with no humidity and the winds generally keep the bugs to a minimum. Ideal summer weather, in other words. August can tend to be a bit warmer with days often reaching into the 90's... and the river has warmed up by then, reaching a high temperature in the low 70's Fahrenheit until late September when it starts to cool down again. The Gorge can also get a few days here and there when the temps hit 100 degrees or so, but that's relatively rare. But even 100 degrees can be pretty pleasant when lounging in the cool clear waters of the Columbia.
While the wind blows a large percentage of the time in summer, there are days with no wind. And if there's no wind the boating is incomparable. That's when we enjoy our 20 foot Reinell Powerboat.
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