It’s been a while since we’ve issued a “Barking Dog Report”. A “barking dog report” is something we post when we are preparing for possible flooding. Similar to a neighbor’s barking dog, there may be a real threat or it may not be. We spent yesterday getting pumps out and preparing for potential flooding (actually, it’s our standard winter prep for living on Puget Sound). [Read more…]
Barking Dog Report: High Winds, Rain and Waves
October 12, 2016 by 2 Comments
Seattle Police Department Community Newsletter
June 7, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The Seattle Police Department has released their community newsletter with important summertime safety tips. You can read the article by clicking here.
High Winds hits West Seattle
March 13, 2016 by 2 Comments
This post has more recent updates towards the bottom.
Parts of Beach Drive are without power shortly after the winds came roaring in. Seattle City Light‘s map shows that 1638 homes on Beach Drive are without power due to a tree.
It’s got to be a bumpy ride for folks on the ferry too. The Vashon – Fauntleroy Ferry run is showing wind speeds up to 49 mph. 
Wind Alert is forecasting that the strongest winds are with us now with gusts estimated up to 52 mph.
The High Wind Warning is in effect until 11:00 pm tonight. Got flashlights and candles ready?
Update 2:43 pm: Low tide is at 3:15 and estimated to be 0.02 and then we’ll head up to an est. 10.52 around 9:54 pm.
Update 3:37 pm: Scupper and I drove Beach Drive in search of the downed tree referenced in Seattle City Light’s map for the power outage – we did not see any down trees at that time.
City of Seattle has just updated their forecast:
330 PM PDT SUN MAR 13 2016
…HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS EVENING…
TONIGHT…VERY WINDY. SHOWERS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH POSSIBLE. LOWS IN THE MID 30S TO LOWER 40S. SOUTH WIND 25 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 55 MPH IN THE EARLY EVENING THEN EASING TO SOUTHWEST 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH.
Puget Sound Marine Forecast:
235 PM PDT SUN MAR 13 2016
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
TONIGHT
S WIND 35 TO 45 KT…BECOMING SW 20 TO 30 KT BY
MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 6 TO 8 FT…SUBSIDING TO 3 TO 5 FT. SHOWERS
LIKELY.
Update 4:01 pm: Here’s a photo from our intrepid reporter, Scupper.
Latest forecast from Wind Alert shows another round of strong winds potentially on the way.
High Wind Watch upgraded to High Wind Warning
March 12, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Update 4:08PM: The City of Seattle updated their forecast at 3:30 pm which includes a Coastal Flood Advisory tomorrow. Scupper, Beach Drive Blog’s other reporter wanted me to mention that other weather models we’ve found more accurate at times have gusts topping out at 43 at 5PM Sunday. It’ll be interesting to see which model prevails.
SEATTLE AND VICINITY-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…SEATTLE…SHORELINE…FEDERAL WAY…
KENT
330 PM PST SAT MAR 12 2016
…COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 5 AM TO 11 AM PDT SUNDAY…
…HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 11 PM PDT SUNDAY…
TONIGHT…WINDY. SHOWERS AND A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE EVENING…THEN SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A TENTH TO A QUARTER OF AN INCH POSSIBLE…EXCEPT HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE IN THUNDERSTORMS. LOWS NEAR 40. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 30 MPH.
SUNDAY…VERY WINDY. RAIN. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH POSSIBLE. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 40S TO MID 50S. EAST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH INCREASING TO SOUTHEAST 25 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 70 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.
SUNDAY NIGHT…VERY WINDY. RAIN AT TIMES IN THE EVENING…THEN SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH POSSIBLE. LOWS NEAR 40. SOUTH WIND 25 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 70 MPH BECOMING SOUTHWEST 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT.
**Beginning of the original post**
From the National Weather Service: URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA 158 PM PST SAT MAR 12 2016 WAZ504-507-509-511-512-555-556-558-559-131100- /O.UPG.KSEW.HW.A.0002.160313T1900Z-160314T1200Z/ /O.NEW.KSEW.HW.W.0004.160313T1900Z-160314T0600Z/ SOUTHWEST INTERIOR-EVERETT AND VICINITY-TACOMA AREA-HOOD CANAL AREA- LOWER CHEHALIS VALLEY AREA-EAST PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS- BELLEVUE AND VICINITY-SEATTLE AND VICINITY-BREMERTON AND VICINITY- 158 PM PST SAT MAR 12 2016 ...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 11 PM PDT SUNDAY... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SEATTLE HAS ISSUED A HIGH WIND WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 11 PM PDT SUNDAY. THE HIGH WIND WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. * TIMING...SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING. STRONGEST WINDS WILL LIKELY BE LATER SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING. * WINDS...SOUTHEAST WINDS 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH POSSIBLE EARLY IN THE AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST AND RISE...WITH STRONGEST WINDS REACHING 30 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 70 MPH IN THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. WINDS WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH THROUGH LATE EVENING. * IMPACTS...WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES AND DOWNED TREES ARE LIKELY. SOME DAMAGE TO BUILDINGS IS POSSIBLE. REMEMBER THAT FALLING TREES AND TREE LIMBS CAN CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A HIGH WIND WARNING MEANS A HAZARDOUS HIGH WIND EVENT IS EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF AT LEAST 40 MPH OR GUSTS OF 58 MPH OR MORE CAN LEAD TO PROPERTY DAMAGE. Puget Sound Marine Forecast was updated this morning: SUN SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING SE 20 TO 30 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 5 FT. RAIN. SUN NIGHT S WIND 35 TO 45 KT...BECOMING SW DURING THE EVENING. WIND WAVES 6 TO 8 FT.
High Wind Watch Sunday
March 12, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The National Weather Service has issued a High Wind Watch:
...HIGH WIND WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE SUNDAY NIGHT... * TIMING...SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. STRONGEST WINDS WILL LIKELY BE LATER SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. * WINDS...SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS 20 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 60 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. * IMPACTS...FAIRLY WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES AND DOWNED TREES ARE POSSIBLE...ALONG WITH SOME DAMAGE TO BUILDINGS. REMEMBER THAT FALLING TREES AND TREE LIMBS CAN CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A HIGH WIND WATCH MEANS THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A HAZARDOUS HIGH WIND EVENT. SUSTAINED WINDS OF AT LEAST 40 MPH...OR GUSTS OF 58 MPH OR STRONGER MAY OCCUR. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS. High tides for Sunday are predicted to be 11.99 at 8:37 am and 10.52 at 9:54 pm. However, it's possible we could have "coastal flooding" as we do today and have had the last couple days, which will raise the tides even higher.
…COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM PST THIS MORNING…
…HIGH WIND WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE SUNDAY NIGHT…
TODAY…BREEZY. RAIN AT TIMES IN THE MORNING…THEN SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON. A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A TENTH TO A QUARTER OF AN INCH POSSIBLE… EXCEPT HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE IN THUNDERSTORMS. HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MID 50S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 20 MPH BECOMING SOUTHWEST 15 TO 25 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT…WINDY. SHOWERS AND A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE EVENING…THEN SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A TENTH TO A QUARTER OF AN INCH POSSIBLE…EXCEPT HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE IN THUNDERSTORMS. LOWS NEAR 40. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 30 MPH.
SUNDAY…WINDY…RAIN. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH POSSIBLE. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 40S TO MID 50S. EAST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH INCREASING TO SOUTHEAST 20 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.
SUNDAY NIGHT…VERY WINDY. RAIN AT TIMES IN THE EVENING…THEN SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH POSSIBLE. LOWS NEAR 40. SOUTH WIND 25 TO 40 MPH BECOMING SOUTHWEST AFTER MIDNIGHT. GUSTS TO 55 MPH.
MONDAY…WINDY. SHOWERS LIKELY. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH POSSIBLE. HIGHS NEAR 50. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 25 MPH BECOMING SOUTHWEST 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.
TODAY S WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. RAIN IN THE MORNING…THEN SHOWERS AND A CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE AFTERNOON. TONIGHT S WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. A CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE EVENING. SHOWERS.
SUN SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT BECOMING E 20 TO 30 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 5 FT. RAIN.
SUN NIGHT S WIND 25 TO 35 KT. WIND WAVES 4 TO 6 FT.
Charge up your cell phones, be safe and stay tuned! Should we lose power, we will be posting on Facebook… now might be a good time to “like” our Facebook page.
Reader asks about park bench replacement at Beach Drive & Jacobsen
March 11, 2016 by 3 Comments
A very popular rest stop at the south end of Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook took a tumble from corrosion back on February 23rd (shouldn’t have eaten that last bite). Neighbors and out-of-towners have enjoyed watching the scenery under the huge “Raptor Tree” that Eagle & Osprey often use to spy on prey. Love that tree!
Appears that the 2 legged benches are all failing at the weld just under the bench. There a few more with the same design near the drinking fountain that had caution tape applied immediately after the Jacobsen bench toppled . The tape has since come off and the older benches still stand… barely
The newer 4 legged butt rest looks like a much better design for being near the saltwater…
As far as replacement, we reported a few years back on plans to rebuild that entire section of the deteriorating seawall. No bench replacement or additions were to happen until the seawall issue gets solved. Construction was intended to start last Summer but the design work was never finalized. A response from the Army Corp of Engineers back in November 2015 didn’t show much progress.
Unfortunately I don’t have any updates at this point. We are still working through our feasibility phase process before we can move into final design.
I have a current email out to the Army Corp asking for any further progress & will update as soon as they respond. Meanwhile, the storms keep pounding it and the park department continues to backfill the erosion.
Picture above taken on the stormy morning of 3/10/16… photo below was furnished by a Beach Drive neighbor the very next morning. Park department workers mentioned that they really didn’t like parking their heavy equipment on the slumping strip of grass which precariously covers the 54″ sewer line carrying 50 million gallons of sewage per day!
Scupper, reporting for Beach Drive Blog
National Weather Service issues Coastal Flood Advisory for Seattle
March 9, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The high tide I referenced in last night’s “barking dog” report has been bumped up to an estimated 14.3 feet at 5:38 am on Thursday morning. This coincides with gusts that are predicted from Wind Alert to have gusts up to 50 mph.
From the Coastal Flooding Advisory, issued at 3:12 am:
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SEATTLE HAS ISSUED A COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 8 AM PST THURSDAY. * COASTAL FLOODING...MINOR TIDAL OVERFLOW IS LIKELY AROUND THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE TONIGHT. HIGH ASTRONOMICAL TIDES...AUGMENTED BY UNUSUALLY LOW ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE...WILL LIKELY FLOOD VERY LOW LYING COASTAL AREAS. FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO BE MINOR AND ONLY LAST A FEW HOURS AROUND THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE. THE TABLE BELOW GIVES TIME AND HEIGHT OF PREDICTED TIDES...THE PREDICTED TIDAL ANOMALY DUE TO LOW PRESSURE AND OTHER FACTORS... AND THE SUM OF THE PREDICTED TIDE AND THE PREDICTED ANOMALY. STATION NAME: SEATTLE DAY TIME PRED ANOMALY PRED + ANOMALY THU 05:38 AM 12.44 ~ 1.9 14.3
Based on these predictions, we are pulling out our pumps today just in case we flood early tomorrow morning. It may be a good idea to check on your waterfront neighbors to make sure they’re aware of the potential flooding.
There is also a Small Craft Advisory in effect through Thursday afternoon.
Potential “Barking Dog” Report: High Winds and Waves
March 8, 2016 by 1 Comment
If you are a long time reader of Beach Drive Blog, you are familiar with the “barking dog” report. A “barking dog” report is when we are preparing to possibly flood from waves breaching our bulkhead. It’s called a “barking dog” because, much like a neighbor’s barking dog – it could be much ado about nothing. We are not professional weather people – we do care about our neighbors and will “bark” if we see what we think is enough warning. And, like your neighbor’s barking dog, we’re not always right.
So… this is what we’re looking at right now and this is subject to change (please check links on the right for updated forecast).
First of all, we have some very high tides in the next couple of days, paired with the strong winds. This chart is from NOAA.
Now check out this chart from Wind Alert for Alki Point.
This is concerning.
We have an 11.39 on Wednesday at 4:56 pm… what seems to be more concerning is the next high tide estimated at 12.44 at 5:38 am on Thursday when it’s predicted we may have gusts up to 50 mph.
WED NIGHT SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT…BECOMING S 20 TO 30 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 5 FT. RAIN.
THU S WIND 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT.
THU NIGHT SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT…BECOMING S 10 TO 20 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT.
If for nothing else, this is a good reason to make sure you are prepared for potential flooding and to check on neighbors – make sure they know about this potential storm.
I hope this is a big to-do about nothing.
Update on the repaving of Beach Drive
January 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment
KOMO 4 news picked up the petition to repave Beach Drive a couple days ago.
In KOMO’s coverage, they state that “Beach Drive, according to SDOT, does not have a major bus route, and traffic volumes are not as heavy as other roads that are in need of paving”.
Beach Drive neighbor, Jim Unland provided us an update as well:
“I spoke with Sue Byers from SDOT this morning. She is the Acting Manager of the Pavement Engineering Management Section (PEMS). She said that she expects the City to do the repaving work on Beach Dr. from Orleans St. to Andover St. sometime this summer.
Besides waiting for the weather to improve, they also have to coordinate the installation of curb ramps at the affected intersections in compliance with the American’s with Disabilities Act.
They are unable to repave the area around La Rustica (Beach Dr./Carroll St.) at this time because of bid limit laws. The work this summer will be done as an “in-house” job and the budget only allows for this Orleans St. to Andover St. section to be done. I asked her to put the La Rustica intersection on the wish list and I am very hopeful that it too will get repaved as the budget and calendar permit.
One last thing, if the City has any sense, they will remove the word “Acting” from Sue Byers’ title. She has been helpful, courteous, informative and responsive throughout my contacts with her. She exemplifies what we want in our public employees. If you can give her a plug in your blog, it would be a nice way of saying ‘thank you’.”
Consider that done, Jim!
By the way, you can report potholes to SDOT. They even have an app for that! Click here for more info.
Sewer Line Leak off the shores of Beach Drive
January 24, 2016 by Leave a Comment
There was a sewer line leak reported two days ago at the pump station located near Constellation Park (also referred to by neighbors as “Constipation Park”). It is unknown the amount of sewage that was released into Puget Sound.
King County utility crews are working quickly this morning to repair a sewer line leak near the 63rd Avenue Pump Station, which is located at 3535 Beach Drive S.W. in Seattle.
The small leak was detected last night in a 42-inch pipeline that pumps wastewater from homes and businesses in West Seattle to King County’s West Point Treatment Plant in the Magnolia neighborhood.
An undetermined amount of wastewater overflowed out of the pipe and into Puget Sound. To protect public health and safety, crews quickly initiated cleanup and posted warning signs to keep people away from affected areas.
Construction workers will be on site this morning to repair the pipeline.
King County reported the overflow to health and regulatory agencies and will monitor water quality over the next several days.
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