Camas winds are making me crazy! (Vancouver: house, neighborhood, living in)

[Newintown84]

USDefault, your post absolutely made my night and brought me much reassurance and comfort. The winds are back and I'm already getting anxious they will be bad like they were a few days ago. I'm telling myself it's only short lived and the majority of the year is quiet like you say. I absolutely love the views of this area and feel so thankful to live here. Now off to find my earplugs before I go to bed!

[GreenThoughts]

Have you considered planting a row of evergreens for a windbreak? Emerald Green Arborvitae or something similar works well.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by GreenThoughts

Have you considered planting a row of evergreens for a windbreak? Emerald Green Arborvitae or something similar works well.

wind breaks are GREAT, we used them on the WY ranch (to collect snow and shelter birthing livestock)

These guys, Emerald Green Arborvitae are not keen on ice storms, but at least you won't have to look at the windward side!

Choose windbreak vegetation wisely as you don't want to block your view! or trees to crash into your home.

You can stagger the pattern to slow down the wind and still retain your view.

[USDefault]

How have the winds been in Camas the last few days?

[Newintown84]

We have considered planting a wind break but we have a small view of Mt. Hood and while it is nothing like some homes in the area have, I do love seeing it on clear days.

The wind was back just a few days ago for about a 36 hour period or so and it was pretty intense. I think we are supposed to get more in the coming days as well, hopefully for just one night.

[Pmichelle31]

Since, we're going to be moving that way this summer, I've been keeping up with the weather there the past month or so. Is this ice/snow/wintry weather typical or abnormal for the area this time of the year? I've also noticed that Camas winds have been between 25-30 mph every day for the past two weeks. That's insane. I realize you're going to have increased East winds with the funneling of the wind through the gorge but, seriously, everyday?!

[texasdiver]

This weather is super unusual in two ways. First the 9" of snow we had last Weds was very unusual. Usually it's only an inch or two at a time. Second, this most recent snowfall was followed by a week of cold clear weather. There has barely been any melting in the past week so all of Camas is still snow covered. That is even more unusual. Usually most snowfalls are quickly followed by warming weather and rain so snow usually lasts no more than 24 hours. My memory goes back to the late 1960s and I don't ever remember a single time we have had this kind of cold snap following a big snowfall where the snow has stayed on the ground this long. My earliest memory of snow was the Feb 1969 snowstorm. My family lived in Eugene then and we got close to 3' of snow in 24 hours which was a totally epic once in a century storm. But even that snow didn't last this long.

Ice storms are not uncommon but usually not combined with snow on the ground like we had in Dec. But every so often Camas/Portland does get blasted by an ice storm that makes driving much much worse than any snow.

Schools were canceled again today in anticipation of an ice storm which has not gotten here yet as of 10:30 am. In fact it's still 32 degrees and sunny at this moment. This is the 9th inclement weather cancellation here in Camas this year I think. I've lost track. That is totally unprecedented. I think many years there are no snow days and at worst usually just one or two and perhaps a couple of late starts.


As for the winds? The better your view the worse the winds. On the sheltered streets with mature trees the winds are not generally an issue. I don't notice them hardly at all where I live in Deer Creek. If it weren't for this thread I woudn't have given the wind any though this winter. The winds seem to be MUCH worse on the exposed ridges where they are making all the view houses like the Lookout Ridge area between Camas and Washougal. So in Camas you have to pay extra for the winds. Or you pay extra for the views and get the winds for free, however you want to look at it.

Bottom line? The ice and snow this year is highly unusual. May not repeat for another 50 years. Who knows. Or maybe with climate change it will be the new normal. On the other hand, the winds from the Gorge are a permanent feature of this area. If you buy on a high exposed bluff, expect to live with it permanently.

[USDefault]

The summer weather has been outstanding. Beautiful every day. I think this weather is typical for this time of year. Yes, there can be some rainy days, and some hot days thrown in, and we may get them in August and September. But late spring, summer, and early fall are fantastic around here.

This is why I (we) were saying that by mid-February, usually winter weather is nearly done, and so are the winds. And spring, summer and fall will bring great conditions. Hopefully the nice weather lasts until the end of October, maybe even early November if we're lucky.

Originally Posted by texasdiver

Bottom line? The ice and snow this year is highly unusual. May not repeat for another 50 years. Who knows. Or maybe with climate change it will be the new normal. On the other hand, the winds from the Gorge are a permanent feature of this area. If you buy on a high exposed bluff, expect to live with it permanently.

I've listened to and read some reports on climate change analyses for the Portland metro and Gorge area. With rising temps, the predictions are shorter and milder winters, even less snow. No surprise. What was a bit surprising was, researchers predict less winds as temperatures rise. But I guess it shouldn't be a surprise, the physics make sense. Rising temps will curtail the cool Cascade temperature gradient necessary to drive the gap winds (from high p to low p). Higher temps in the east, stable temps in the west due to the moderating effects of the Pacific, you begin to degrade the strength of the wind machine. I'm not saying no winds, they will always be here. But the researchers were pretty clear the wind intensity will degrade with rising temps.

[trailtramp]

Reviving this old thread. We have looked as far east as Washougal and west past downtown, is the entire area along the river windy much of the time? And how far north of the river are the winds less intrusive?

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by trailtramp

Reviving this old thread. We have looked as far east as Washougal and west past downtown, is the entire area along the river windy much of the time? And how far north of the river are the winds less intrusive?

Are you trying to get a riverfront property?

The thing is, the wind isn't always blowing even on the river. I go paddling here year round as well as at Lacamas Lake. Like anywhere, the winds vary based on the latest storms rolling through along with general seasonal weather patterns. During winter, winds are typically lower unless a big front is rolling through. Then, even during the rains, winds can be relatively light.

As a newbie to the area initially, it turned out I was overly concerned with the wind and over estimating their daily affects. That was a pleasant surprise. After living in CO and also along the coast where winds could be very strong, we generally have milder winds here year round. So, I guess all things are relative to what you're used to. There are days where the wind does blow strongly from time to time. But not always. Here's a windless winter day this February I went paddling on the Columbia in Vancouver. I had the entire place to myself.







The wind is generally worse the further east you go up the Columbia. For example, the last time I went to Washougal to go paddleboarding, winds were relatively mild closer to Vancouver. But as soon as I got to Washougal they were up too high. This isn't always the case. So, I drove up to Lacamas Lake in Camas and paddled where they were calmer. A recent shot of Lacamas Lake this winter.







Quoting TexasDiver, this is another truism generally speaking for the area:

As for the winds? The better your view the worse the winds. On the sheltered streets with mature trees the winds are not generally an issue.

Its not so much how far from the river you are, but rather how exposed is your property to fantastic views and wind? it's all about tradeoffs. Trees do a great job of cutting the wind and we have lots of those in the PNW. They also block your view. So, pick which you prefer. Ideally, I would like it all. Wouldn't everyone? What we wound up with is something in the middle. I also wanted to have sunlight into our home and not too many trees blocking it which is important in the PNW. But we're not on a hilltop and so no big sweeping view or wind either. We're also in northeast Vancouver where the wind is less of an issue overall. It's a total non-issue here. But for recreating, I typically head closer to the river or Lacamas Lake. So, I'm over there weekly.

Derek