Powerful wind storm is heading our way!
It appears that a powerful wind storm is heading in our direction….news reports predict power outages….
High wind warning from 2pm today until 10 am Friday.
If you try to contact us via email or phone and can’t get through please assume that our power is out and since we do not have a generator we will have to wait until power is restored.
We will return all emails and phone messages received once we are able.
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SEATTLE — A powerful and dangerous storm continues to make its way toward the Pacific Northwest Thursday, promising extremely windy conditions and bringing the potential for widespread power outages.
QUICK SYNOPIS:
Winds are expected to pick up along the coast and Northwest Interior in the early afternoon, and then into the Puget Sound area in the late evening and overnight hours.
A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect for all of western Washington from 2 p.m. Thursday through 10 a.m. Friday. Generally, we’re looking at sustained winds of 35-40 mph, with gusts as high as 65 mph.
There are a few places that are looking at even greater wind potential. Along the coast, wind are expected to gust to 65 mph through the evening, then change to the west and gust as high as 80-90 mph overnight and into Friday morning.
The same holds true for the northern Olympic Peninsula and Whidbey Island, as a very strong push of westerly wind is expected in the storm’s wake, making for west winds of 50-60 gusting as high as 80-90 mph. Whidbey Island in particular is susceptible to these winds as you are at the east end of the Strait and basically the first place those west winds will hit. Again, timing here is thought to be more after midnight and into early Friday morning after the storm passes.
Also, aside from the wind, a WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for the Cascades, for 1-2 *feet* of snow, possibly 3 feet in some spots, from noon Thursday through noon Friday. Snow levels will be around 3,000 feet through Thursday night, then drop to 1,000 feet Friday morning. Strong gusty winds will make for blowing snow.
And with the strong waves along the coast, a COASTAL FLOOD WATCH is in effect for the central Coast. Swells are expected to be around 24-28 feet, and combined with high tide around 9 a.m. for Aberdeen on Friday, that could cause some coast flooding.
THE METEORLOGICAL DETAILS FOR THIS STORM:
Forecasting models continue to be generally consistent in the strength and track of this storm. There are a few minor variances between exact strength, where the storm will make landfall, and what time it gets here, but any of the scenarios painted spell damaging winds for the Northwest.
One forecast model has the storm slightly weaker (central pressure roughly 28.76″) and making landfall further north, but also has the storm getting here sooner — perhaps late evening for the Puget Sound area. The other model has the storm a little more intense (central pressure of 28.70″), making landfall closer to the northwestern tip of Washington, but not bringing the strongest winds to the I-5 corridor until after midnight.
The second one is the one we’re leaning a little more to, if only because looking at the satellite, it seems the slightly slower solution might be the winner. But either scenario above will bring strong winds.
STORM PLAY-BY-PLAY
Wind storms generally run in three or four phases around here. Here’s how we think the storm will play out, time-wise:
EARLY AFTERNOON:
Winds will begin to pick up along the coast and Northwest Interior (Everett north to the Canadian border, and west to Port Townsend, including all the islands up there) with southeast winds building through the afternoon and early evening to 30-40 mph, gusting to maybe 50-60 mph at times. We could also perhaps a brief period of strong, gusty east winds near the mountain passes as air rushes out to meet this brewing storm. Generally just breezy but very rainy in the Puget Sound area.
EARLY EVENING: (INCLUDING THE SEAHAWKS GAME):
This pattern above holds. Winds will gradually be picking up in the Seattle area, but should stay under 35 mph for this time frame. We’ve had a lot of people asking about the weather conditions for the Seahawks game at Qwest Field this evening, and it looks like since the game should be over by 8:30 or 9:00, we should get the game in before the big winds hit. Could start getting really windy during the drive home if the storm is early, so at least be prepared just in case.
And oh yes, it will be very, very rainy.
THURSDAY NIGHT/ PRE-DAWN FRIDAY:
Best guesses have this storm making landfall sometime around 10 p.m. – 1 a.m. Winds will switch to the south and increase during the overnight hours. The expected peak gusts to 60-65 mph will probably be between midnight and 4 a.m., but that’s a rough estimate. Again, this is everywhere.
PRE-DAWN FRIDAY — FRIDAY MORNING:
Shortly after this storm passes is when we’re expecting the surge of west wind to chase after the storm.
This is when the wind gusts to 80-90 mph could hit the coast, northern Olympic Peninsula and Whidbey Island areas. Western Skagit and Snohomish Counties near the water could also see some of these strong winds, but as strong as the 80+ gusts.
Gusty southwest winds will continue in the Puget Sound area and then very slowly subside through the morning. Then all areas begin to calm down as we get into the afternoon.
Rebecca
Country Meadow
www.countrymeadowsoaps.com