Weirdly Warm and Windy Weather

As I write this post (around 2:30 pm on Thursday), it’s about 70 degrees and muggy outside. The breeze almost feels tropical. There’s been a lot of talk of the spectacular system (bomb cyclone) that’s supposed to stay off the coast this weekend… check out what Wind Alert currently has in the forecast!


You can see on the bar along the bottom that we could be in for windy weather for a few days. Sunday has gusts estimated around 51mph. Monday and Tuesday have gusts topping mid-40s. We could have quite a storm if these predictions hold true.

High Tides:

  • Friday: 10.8 feet at 7:15 am and 10.5 feet at 6:04 pm.
  • Saturday: 10.9 feet at 7:57 am and 10.1 feet at 6:31 pm.
  • Sunday: 11.00 feet at 8:40 am and 9.6 feet at 6:59 pm.
  • Monday: 10.9 feet at 9:28 am and 9.1 feet at 7:28 pm.

Stay safe, Neighbors!

Barking Dog Report: Friday set to be a Howler

The forecast for Friday looks very wet and windy. As I write this, Thursday morning, we have a small craft advisory issued for most of the day tomorrow. Here’s a current snapshot from WindAlert for Alki Point:

Tides on Friday go form a low of 0.60 feet at 8:42 AM to 11.25 feet at 4:23 PM.

The Puget Sound Marine Forecast, as of 8:46 AM this morning has wind waves up to 4-5 feet.

FRI  S wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. Rain likely.  

FRI NIGHT  S wind 20 to 30 kt easing to 15 to 25 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 to 5 ft.

 SAT  S wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft.

Around high tide, if we have gusts in the 30s mostly coming from the south with some southwest and waves of 4-5 feet, we’re likely to see plenty of splashing and possibly water coming over bulkheads.

Some neighbors are already moving their boats to where they will be more protected from the wind and waves.

With this being the first BIG rain of the season combined with the predicted wind, we’re expecting some tree branches to come down too.

Stay safe, Neighbors!

Attention Neighbors with Boats afloat or Umbrellas adorning Decks – Windy Weather Ahead

You’ve probably heard the forecast that we are in for a soaker on Friday. It also looks like we’re in for some wind according to the current forecast from WindAlert.


Just a heads up in case you have a boat out in the sound right now OR if you happen to have your lovely summer umbrellas on your patios before the potentially very gusty winds hit. The above forecast is showing potential gusts up to 44 mph on Friday afternoon around 2pm with the wind not really letting up until Sunday. Of course the weather here is constantly changing… but it’s always good to be prepared.

We’ll have to get closer to Friday to know if the forecast stays true and if there’s a potential for waves to cause flooding. ‘Tis the Season!

New Crosswalk as fresh as a Spring Day

We finally have a crosswalk at Beach Drive and Jacobsen!


Isn’t it simply gorgeous?

NOW… we just need to have a crosswalk installed north of this one to connect Me Kwa Mooks and Emma Schmitz Parks. It  is so challenging for people to cross Beach Drive at that point where there is low visibility with the curvy road and heavy traffic of (often speeding vehicles) and bikes.

Motorist dies near Me Kwa Mooks and Beach Drive

This afternoon a motorcyclist died in an accident near Me Kwa Mooks park and Beach Drive. We’re told that this section of Beach Drive may be closed for a couple more hours.

West Seattle Blog has more coverage here.

We’re so sorry for this person’s family and friends.

We do not know of any other details at this time.

KIRO’s coverage

Update: April 4, 2021

The motorist who passed away has been identified as Keith Adams. We are so sad for his family and friends. This is from the Kirkland Firefighter’s post on Facebook:

 

 

Trespasser on Bulkhead

Earlier today a neighbor reported a man on their bulkhead who appeared to be looking into other Beach Drive homes from the bulkhead.


When approached he said he was just looking at the water however, he was checking out nearby homes. When he was informed he was on private property, he left.

His picture was shown to the construction crew at nearby Emma Schmitz Viewpoint and they thought he looked like a person who had broke into a subcontractors truck, stealing a gun and wallet.

This person is described as wearing a navy blue Mariner’s sweatshirt with a hoody, black sweatpants tucked into white socks. Rough 40-ish, white with graying dreadlock type hair and smoking a cigarette.

Barking Dog Report: Howling Wind forecasted for tomorrow

Tomorrow is set to have extremely strong winds combined with waves. Check out this graph from WindAlert.

The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory as of 3:40 pm today:

...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 6 PM PDT TUESDAY...

* WHAT...Southwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts 45 to 50 mph
  expected.

* WHERE...Southwest Interior, Everett and Vicinity, Tacoma Area,
  Hood Canal Area, Bellevue and Vicinity, Seattle and Vicinity
  and Bremerton and Vicinity.

* WHEN...From noon to 6 PM PDT Tuesday.

It looks like the tides for tomorrow are

High Tide: 1:58 AM  at 8.75 feet

Low Tide:  8:27 AM at 0.57 feet

High Tide: 3:31 PM at 11.23 feet

Low Tide:  9:40 PM at 4.34  feet

Puget Sound Marine Forecast:

PZZ135-130645-
Puget Sound and Hood Canal-
243 PM PDT Mon Oct 12 2020

...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH
TUESDAY AFTERNOON...
...GALE WATCH IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY
EVENING...

TUE
SE wind 15 to 25 kt becoming SW 20 to 30 kt in the
afternoon. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. Rain in the morning then rain
likely in the afternoon. 

TUE NIGHT
SW wind 25 to 35 kt easing to 15 to 25 kt after
midnight. Wind waves 4 to 6 ft subsiding to 2 to 4 ft after
midnight. A chance of showers in the evening then a slight chance
of showers after midnight. 

Of course forecast can and do change… it’s hard to believe with how calm and beautiful it is right now that tomorrow is predicted to be a very blustery day.

Stay safe!

NOTE: It looks like I need to update some links on the “swell links” section. I’ll get to that soon!

 

Warning for Parents and Dog Owners about Lincoln Park

We’re just learning from a neighbor that a dog passed after ingesting meth while on a walk at Lincoln Park.

We don’t have information about exactly where or how this happened. The events are very recent and we just wanted to warn neighbors to be careful of their two and four legged loved ones.  Honestly, this tragic event could happen at any park. 🙁

We are heartbroken for the family who lost their beloved puppy.

Human of the Week

Ok, we all know the real heroes have been on the front lines fighting the virus…but there are individuals deserving some thanks for making our local bubble a bit better.

Anyone that walks up or down Jacobson Road lately knows the hazard of keeping a safe 6’ from other walkers, joggers, and dogs while not getting run over by vehicle coming around a corner. The upper portion of the road only has a sidewalk on the north side. That’s if you want to call the disappearing sliver of walkway a sidewalk at all due to the ever encroaching ivy and weeds. As to the shoulder between the sidewalk and vehicular traffic, a six inch white line!

Well, our Human of the Week has been working to make things better up there.


This humble human’s not looking for recognition so no need to enlarge the pic to zoom in on his identity 😉

I caught our human trimming back the holly and hedges on the south side of the street carving out some room for pedestrians to use both sides of the road near the top. After thanking him for the effort I found out he also weed whacks over a hundred yards of the notoriously bad north side starting at the fire hydrant on the top corner. He says “I just want to give people some room!”.

If you have a person you’d like to nominate for Human of the Week (aka HOW) please contact our Chief Editor, contact info is at the bottom of this blog.

Scupper, reporting for the BDB

Walking the newly closed Beach Drive for Stay Healthy Streets

This morning, after writing about a portion of Beach Drive being closed, my hubby (aka our intrepid reporter, Scupper) and I decided to check out the newly closed road along Constellation Park. I actually did not expect the closure to include Alki Avenue to 63rd (the intersection by Cactus).


Vehicle traffic was definitely reduced. Gone are the cruisers and car clubs hanging out along the sidewalk.


64th was the only side street that I noticed was blocked.


This stretch of Beach Drive is no stranger to cars peeling out. The City has tried passing noise ordinances for this area but I doubt it’s been successful. Neighbors we talked to are pretty pleased with this stretch being closed.


I don’t know if I’ve ever seen open parking on a warm sunny day along Alki Avenue.
The closure stretches all the way from Alki Avenue at 62nd to Beach Drive and 62nd. There were still a handful of cars (possibly residents), driving along with bicyclists, skateboards (some motorized) and all sorts of wheeled contraptions mixed with people walking or jogging in the street.

It’s a new experience to walk down the street…it’s a bit liberating. It’s also a lot easier to keep the “safe six” feet away from others.  There are a lot of cars from residents along Alki Avenue to Beach Drive where there are condos, apartments and street parking for houses. This stretch is still very popular (and may become even more so) with bicyclist and joggers. If you’re wearing ear-buds, you may need a shoulder-mounted-rear-view-mirror!

It will be interesting to see how this evolves as bicyclist and resident cars, service/delivery vehicles and rule-avoiders are now dealing with people walking in the Mayor’s new “Stay Healthy Street”.

Please stay safe and be kind! This is a new experience for all of us.