It’s been a while since we’ve issued a “Barking Dog Report”. One of the main reasons for starting this blog was to help alert neighbors when we think we’re going to flood from the combination of strong winds and high tides coming over our bulkhead. Like a neighbor’s friendly dog barking dog, it could be a false alarm or it could be an actual event to contend with. So if you see a “barking dog report” – we are preparing to flood or for a strong weather event. The joys of living on Puget Sound!

Today is one of those days… we are preparing to possibly flood because of the strong winds in the forecast combined with the high tide this afternoon of 11.73 at 1:19 pm.

The National Weather Service has issued a High Wind Warning which is in effect until 9pm tonight.

…HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM PST THIS EVENING…

The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a High Wind
Warning, which is in effect until 9 PM PST this evening. The Wind
Advisory is no longer in effect.

* WIND…South 25 to 40 mph with gusts TO 60 or 65 mph.

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…The I-5 metro corridor from Lewis
county north to Snohomish county. Includes the greater Seattle
area, Bellevue, Tacoma, Bremerton, and Olympia.

* TIMING…Late this morning through early this evening.

* IMPACTS…Falling trees and limbs, power outages, and minor
damage to structures.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

High winds can topple trees onto roads, vehicles, and rooftops.
Falling trees or large branches have been known to cause
fatalities during windstorms. Downed power lines can cause power
outages lasting a couple of hours or longer. Secure loose outdoor
objects or light-weight furniture before the potentially damaging
winds arrive.

The Puget Sound Marine forecast (last updated at 2:36 am as of the writing of this post):

 GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING    TODAY  S wind 25 to 35 kt rising to 30 to 40 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 5 to 7 ft. Rain.

 TONIGHT  S wind 30 to 40 kt easing to 15 to 25 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 5 to 7 ft subsiding to 2 to 4 ft after  midnight. Showers likely.

And last but not least, check out Wind Alert’s current forecast (as of 8:38 am) for Alki Point:

We have sustained winds starting at 20 mph around high tide (1 pm) with gust predicted about 47 mph and BUILDING throughout the afternoon.

A high tide of 11.73 around 1 pm when the winds are expected to really pick up and waves estimated at 5-7 feet means that we believe odds are we will have water coming over our bulkhead and are preparing accordingly.

Check out this ol’ post from 10 years ago about the “The P’s” for preparing for this type of weather event.

Stay safe, Friends and Neighbors!

9:05 am UPDATE: The Puget Sound Marine Forecast now has waves up to 8 feet!

MON  S wind 20 to 30 kt rising to 30 to 40 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 3 to 5 ft building to 5 to 8 ft. Rain.  MON NIGHT  S wind 20 to 30 kt easing to 10 to 20 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft subsiding to 1 to 3 ft after  midnight.

ORIGINAL POST:

It looks like we’re in for a week of windy, wet weather starting with what is currently (as I write this post at 8:30 Sunday morning) a gale warning for Monday.

From the Puget Sound Marine Forecast (last updated at 3:26 this morning):

MON  S wind 20 to 30 kt rising to 25 to 35 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 4 to 6 ft. Rain.  

MON NIGHT  S wind 20 to 30 kt easing to 10 to 20 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft subsiding to 1 to 3 ft after  midnight.

Check out the forecast from Wind Alert with the strongest winds hitting us right at high tide… which is predicted to be 11.73 feet at 1:19 pm on Monday. With winds building throughout the afternoon, including gust up to 56 mph around 4:00 pm per this chart.

Puget Sound tides for tomorrow and Tuesday… btw Tuesday has constant strong winds predicted as well… just not as hairy as what is in the forecast for tomorrow.

We are going to be moving the rest of our planters off our deck and finishing our “winter storm prep” today in advance of the storm.

Please let you neighbors know what’s in the forecast…I’m often surprised how many long time residence of Beach Drive are taken by surprise from storms.