We have some very windy weather in the forecast for Tuesday. The winds are predicted to start today and build through Tuesday. We have a small craft advisory in effect through tonight followed by a Gale Watch on Tuesday.

A High Wind Watch as been issued starting 6:00 am Tuesday morning through midnight. A “high wind watch” is defined by the National Weather Service as:

A HIGH WIND WATCH MEANS THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A DAMAGING WIND EVENT. SUSTAINED WINDS OF AT LEAST 40 MPH AND/OR GUSTS OF 58 MPH OR STRONGER MAY OCCUR.

Based on the current forecast (see below), we are preparing for the possibility of flooding due to the high winds, high tide and the predicted waves.

This is what we at BDB have referred to as a “barking dog report”. It may be that we’re just being a friendly neighborhood dog, howling at nothing, or this really could be an event that is legitimately cause for concern. Of course, we hope it’s all a big to-do over nothing.

Cliff Mass says that Tuesday will be “a particularly wild day”.

Here is the forecast from the NWS:

Seattle City Forecast:

…HIGH WIND WATCH IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING…
TODAY…BECOMING WINDY. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE MORNING…THEN RAIN AT TIMES IN THE AFTERNOON. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A TENTH TO A QUARTER OF AN INCH POSSIBLE. HIGHS IN THE MID 40S TO LOWER 50S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 20 MPH INCREASING TO 20 TO 30 MPH THIS AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT...WINDY. RAIN AT TIMES. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A TENTH TO A QUARTER OF AN INCH POSSIBLE. LOWS IN THE 40S. SOUTH WIND 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT.

TUESDAY…VERY WINDY. RAIN. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH POSSIBLE. HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 50S. SOUTHWEST WIND 20 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH.

TUESDAY NIGHT…WINDY. RAIN AT TIMES IN THE EVENING…THEN SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A TENTH TO A QUARTER OF AN INCH POSSIBLE. LOWS IN THE UPPER 30S TO MID 40S. SOUTHWEST WIND 15 TO 30 MPH SOUTH PART…NORTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH NORTH PART. WIND BECOMING SOUTHWEST 10 TO 20 MPH ALL AREAS AFTER MIDNIGHT.

Puget Sound Marine Forecast:

TODAY  S WIND 10 TO 20 KT…RISING TO 20 TO 30 KT IN THE  AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT…BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT IN THE  AFTERNOON. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE MORNING…THEN RAIN IN THE  AFTERNOON.  

TONIGHT  S WIND 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. RAIN.  

TUE  SW WIND 25 TO 35 KT…RISING TO 35 TO 45 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES 4 TO 6 FT…BUILDING TO 6 TO 8 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. RAIN.  

TUE NIGHT  W WIND 25 TO 35 KT…BECOMING SW 15 TO 25 KT AFTER  MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 4 TO 6 FT…SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 4 FT AFTER  MIDNIGHT.

Check out the tides. We have a 11.71 high tide at 9:13 Tuesday morning. The tides are predicted to go down to a 6.5 at 3:15 pm and then up to a 8.66 at 7:57 Tuesday night.

Wind Alert shows the winds building with gusts over 45 mph starting at high tide and continuing throughout the afternoon. This wind graph is of Fauntleroy.

We are preparing for a possible weather event at our home. It seems autumn is officially here and may be making up for what seemed to be an extended summer.

We have higher tides this weekend on the heals of the Hunter’s Moon. From NOAA:

It’s predicted that at 8:10 tomorrow morning, we’ll have tides at 12.11 feet. Saturday morning we may see 11.93 feet at 9:06 am.

Check out the forecast from Wind Alert. It’s expected to be gusty tomorrow morning at high tide and winds are anticipate to pick up again Saturday morning, just in time for high tide with gusts around 45 mph.

The Puget Sound Marine Forecast update at 3:01 this after noon has a small craft advisory through tomorrow (Friday) afternoon. And states: SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL STRENGTHEN TONIGHT IN  RESPONSE TO AN APPROACHING WARM FRONT. THIS FRONT WILL MOVE  ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS FRI MORNING AND DISSIPATE. A SURFACE  TROUGH OR WEAK COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA FRI AFTERNOON.  A POTENTIALLY STRONGER SYSTEM WILL IMPACT THE WATERS ON SATURDAY.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH  FRIDAY AFTERNOON

 TONIGHT  S WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. RAIN  LIKELY.  

FRI  S WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. RAIN.  

FRI NIGHT  S WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. RAIN.  

SAT AND SAT NIGHT  S WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT.  

SUN  S WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT.  

SUN NIGHT  S WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT.

The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch:

...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY
AFTERNOON...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SEATTLE HAS ISSUED A

* FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST WASHINGTON AND WEST CENTRAL
  WASHINGTON...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...IN NORTHWEST
  WASHINGTON...CLALLAM...GRAYS HARBOR...JEFFERSON...KITSAP...
  MASON...SKAGIT AND WHATCOM. IN WEST CENTRAL WASHINGTON...KING...
  LEWIS...PIERCE...SNOHOMISH AND THURSTON.

* FROM FRIDAY EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON

* A WET PATTERN WILL DEVELOP FRIDAY AND CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY.
  RAIN WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES...ESPECIALLY OVER THE MOUNTAINS. 4
  TO 8 INCHES OF RAIN IS LIKELY OVER THE MOUNTAINS FOR THE 48 HOUR
  PERIOD COVERING FRIDAY AND SATURDAY WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS
  POSSIBLE. THIS WILL CAUSE SHARP RISES ON AREA RIVERS. MINOR
  FLOODING IS POSSIBLE POSSIBLE ON SOME AREA RIVERS BY SATURDAY
  MORNING AND FLOODING CONCERNS FOR AREA RIVERS WILL CONTINUE INTO
  SUNDAY. OF PARTICULAR CONCERN IS THE MOUNT RAINIER AREA AND
  RIVERS FLOWING OUT OF THE PARK. SOME MODELS SHOW RAINFALL
  AMOUNTS WELL OVER A FOOT FOR THE 48 HOUR PERIOD ENDING SATURDAY
  AFTERNOON. THESE AMOUNTS COULD CAUSE MORE SERIOUS FLOODING FOR
  RIVERS FLOWING OFF MOUNT RAINIER.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FLOOD WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR FLOODING BUT
FLOODING IS NOT IMMINENT OR OCCURRING. MONITOR THE LATEST
FORECASTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND BE READY TO ACT
QUICKLY IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED.

Trick-or-Treaters should probably prepare with weather-proof goody bags!

Stay tuned.