Too soon to say anything with certainty but the long range forecast is looking pretty good for the coming week/weekend with highs getting into the upper 80s and sandbars for miles. It's not called the river of a thousand isles for nothing and the last few weeks have proved it. That trend will continue through at least the next week (and historically through most of August).
Looks like highs in the 70s with a chance of isolated storm Sunday afternoon. Sandbars are at late summer peaks - they are everywhere. We're sold out for this weekend but you might get lucky if someone cancels last minute (keep an eye on the inventory levels as they'll show up there immediately after being released).
Looks like we've got a low pressure system slowly moving through our area this weekend. It'll be wet today and tomorrow but by Friday evening the low should be moving Eastward. Not a lot of instability with this one so expect mostly rain with maybe a rumble of thunder here and there. Storm prediction center says we're not likely to get anything severe.
While lots of localized rainfall is possible, the river valley is very dry right now and river levels will not fluctuate more than a couple of inches. Given sandbars are massive right now, that won't cause any trouble.
Bring a poncho! Or raincoat, rain pants, and probably a tarp or two if you're headed out before Saturday. After that we're down to less than .1" of rain.
Ryan
July 13 Update
Looks like better news on the weather front. We should see most rain or storms on Friday afternoon/evening and a limited chance of rain on Saturday. There's even potential for the whole shortwave system to fall off to our south which would leave us fairly dry. At any rate, we're only expecting rain on Saturday morning now with Saturday afternoon staying dry. The cold front on Sunday has also slowed down into Monday so expect a great, sunny Sunday!
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We're looking at a pretty normal stretch of summer days with chances for storms most every day as temperatures peak in the high 80s/low 90s with plenty of hot humid air. 80% of the time it'll be great to sit in the river, the other 20%, hold on to your tents. Tons of summer sandbars available though so no need to worry about them going under with a little rain.
Saturday currently has a 50% chance of isolated storms in the morning hours but the real chance for rain/storms is Sunday night into Monday as a cold front moves through our area. Winds look reasonable from the south and even the southeast throughout the weekend - all in all, I'd take favorable winds and an hour or two of storms over the nasty headwinds that tend to accompany bright sunny days.
Tips on how to deal with storms? I love ponchos. Ponchos should be required canoe camping gear. Sit in a canoe and you're completely covered by a tarp. They're great. Also while walking around camp, plenty of airflow in hot, muggy air. Tarps or pop-up tents are also great if you're looking at extended rain and don't want to be cooped up in a tent or you'd rather not swim. We had storms two weeks ago that were a great reminder about how the wind is the thing most likely to cut your trip short.
When a large storm rolls through it's often accompanied by a huge, short burst of 40+ mph winds. Two weeks ago that happened right around sunset when everyone had their tents up. Very shortly after that a not insignificant number of people were coming off the river because, no exaggeration, almost every single tent was broken. If things are getting crazy, un tension the poles/drop the tents for those few minutes ahead of the storm when that big gust comes through. It's very likely you can put them back up after the wind and before the rain. Worst case, a roll of duct tape should be able to hold splintered fiberglass poles well enough through the night.
Good luck!
Ryan
The outlook for this weekend is pretty phenomenal. I'm giving it a preliminary 9 out of 10. Highs in the mid 80s, crisp nights in the low 60s. Sunny with essentially 0% chance of rain and light winds out of the south (i.e. not headwinds). Water levels have been dropping like crazy and will continue to do so through the week. There will be about as many sandbars this weekend as there ever are, which is to say a lot.
The bad news, we're sold out so if you haven't already booked, sorry! We're now into peak season (next week is also booked). That said, it's not uncommon to have a few last minute cancellations so keep an eye on the inventory, you might get lucky.
For all of you going out during the week, there is a medium chance of rain/storms Wednesday and Thursday. The chances are pretty sporadic and should be isolated. We've got quite a bit of hot and humid weather this week before it clears out for the weekend which leaves us with an unstable atmosphere. No big disturbances are expected (thus the low odds) but it won't take much to kick off a small localized storm. Basically, don't change your plans, but also be ready for a little thunder shower during the day.
Thanks!
Ryan
Crazy amount of wind for a few minutes last night as the first storm came by but otherwise the rest of the night turned out to be pretty quiet with only a small amount of rain. Still questionable what exactly happens today but looks like we'll see something come through between 12pm and 2pm. Once that's over with, clouds will diminish this evening and it'll be sunny and quiet through the 4th.
Still sending trips out today, though day trips especially are welcome to cancel given the likely timing of the storm this afternoon.