Typical summer days ahead

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