Potential Gale Winds prior to High Tide tomorrow morning

January 20, 2018 by Leave a Comment

A gale warning has been issued effective 10:00 pm tonight through 10:00 tomorrow morning.  There is a possibility of flooding for those who live on the water off Beach Drive…especially if winds from the South are your nemesis. Based on the models that we rely on for wind predictions, we think we could be in for some real weather tomorrow morning starting around 7:00 am.  It looks like we will have high sustained winds with strong gusts at high tide between 7:45 and 8:30 tomorrow morning with the high tide predicted to be 12.3.

Here’s a snapshot from Windlert

Here is the current Puget Sound forecast:

 SUN  S wind 25 to 35 kt easing to 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 4 to 6 ft subsiding to 2 to 4 ft in the afternoon.  Rain in the morning then showers in the afternoon.

Of course forecast often change… we like to error on the side of caution when it comes to our weather.

We’ll be posting updates when/if necessary. You can also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/beachdriveblog

Filed Under: Safety, Weather Tagged With: , ,

Wild Wind and Waves: BARKING DOG REPORT

November 13, 2017 by Leave a Comment

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Advisory is no longer in effect.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!

Filed Under: Safety, Weather

Gale Watch Issued for Monday

November 12, 2017 by Leave a Comment

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.

 

Filed Under: Safety, Weather

Are you ready for potential storm Wednesday?

October 16, 2017 by Leave a Comment

We have some windy weather in the forecast starting Tuesday. It looks like the wind will be almost non-stop on Wednesday. Combine the forecast with the some high tides could mean that some of us along the water may flood.

We are currently getting our pumps out for the first time this “season” to inspect them and prepare for potential flooding this week. Because we tend to have water come over the bulkhead during high tides and southwest winds, we’ll continue to have our pumps on standby.

When we anticipate high odds of flooding is when we publish a “barking dog” report here at Beach Drive Blog and shared on Facebook and Twitter. One of the main reasons for starting this blog many years ago was to try to share this information with neighbors. A barking dog report is like a friendly neighbor’s dog who barks to warn of impending danger – sometimes they’re right and sometimes not. 😉

Here are the upcoming tides for Puget Sound:

High tides will be hitting us around 4:00 pm over the next few days.

Tomorrow, the winds will begin picking up and it looks like we’ll dodge flooding on Tuesday with the forecast from “Wind Alert” showing winds dying down before high tide.

However it looks like the wind may be howling most of the day on Wednesday.

Of course forecast often change and this is as good of reason as any to get prepared for this winter’s storm season…even if we don’t flood, we could experience a power outage with the wind and heavy rain expected during this pineapple express.

Stay safe, Neighbors!

Filed Under: Puget Sound, Safety, Weather

High Wind Watch and Gale Warning for tomorrow

April 6, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Tomorrow’s weather looks like it could be spectacular…kind of like the cherry blossoms that are just starting to bloom.

The National Weather Service has issued a High Wind Watch (last updated at 11:05 am today as of the writing of this post).

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Seattle WA
1105 AM PDT Thu Apr 6 2017

...HIGH WIND WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY
EVENING...

The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a High Wind
Watch, which is in effect from late Friday morning through early Friday
evening.

* WIND...Possible south wind 20 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60
mph.

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS...Tacoma...Seattle...Everett...Port
  Townsend...Whidbey Island...The San Juan Islands...and
  Bellingham.

* TIMING...Strongest winds are most likely Friday afternoon.

* IMPACTS...Winds of this strength can break branches off of
  trees...topple weakened trees and produce power outages.

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.

Puget Sound Marine Forecast:

PUGET SOUND AND HOOD CANAL- 231 PM PDT THU APR 6 2017
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FRIDAY
TONIGHT S WIND 5 TO 15 KT BECOMING N. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT.  RAIN AFTER 
MIDNIGHT.
 
FRI  SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT BECOMING S 30 TO 40 KT IN THE  AFTERNOON. 
WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT BUILDING TO 4 TO 6 FT IN THE  AFTERNOON. 
RAIN IN THE MORNING THEN SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.
FRI NIGHT  S 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.

Ready for another colorful picture? Check out Wind Alert's forecast for 
Lincoln Park.


EEEKS!!!! If the forecast is correct, we're in for some major wind from 
Mother Nature... some good news -- looks like the timing of the tides may 
be cooperating.


With that said, we are still preparing to potentially flood...we don't 
think it's likely, but would rather be safe than sorry. 

The joys of living on Puget Sound!
Filed Under: Safety, Tides, Weather

Barking Dog Report: High Tides and Wind

December 20, 2016 by Leave a Comment

This morning we’re waking up to raucous waves crashing on the bulkhead with spray flying over…and we’re still a couple hours from high tide (as I write this post). We think there’s pretty strong odds that we may flood…hence the “barking dog report” to warn our neighbors who might flood in these conditions too.

Here’s what we’re basing the report on.

Let’s start with the tides:

Add the Puget Sound Marine forecast with a Gale Warning in effect until 4:00 pm.

555 AM PST TUE DEC 20 2016    

GALE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON    

TODAY  SW WIND 25 TO 35 KT. WIND WAVES 5 TO 7 FT. A CHANCE OF  SHOWERS.

Factor in a high tide of 12.18 at 10.08 this morning. Right now (7:30 am), we are at about 8 feet and we have water and spray splashing over.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Puget Sound, Weather

NWS issues a Coastal Flood Advisory

December 19, 2016 by Leave a Comment

The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a coastal flooding advisory.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SEATTLE HAS ISSUED A COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TO 11 AM PST THIS MORNING. *

COASTAL FLOODING…HIGH TIDES WILL BE ABOUT ONE FOOT BELOW WHAT NORMALLY CAUSES MINOR TIDAL OVERFLOW THIS MORNING. HOWEVER, A STRONG FRONTAL SYSTEM PASSING THROUGH THE AREA AROUND THE HIGH TIDE WILL PRODUCE WINDY CONDITIONS AND WAVES UP TO 5 FEET. THESE WAVES MAY OVERTOP SEAWALLS AROUND TODAYS MORNING HIGH TIDE.

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…SHORELINES OF PUGET SOUND…

* TIMING…TWO HOURS EITHER SIDE OF THIS MORNING`S HIGH TIDE THAT WILL OCCUR BETWEEN 8 AND 9 AM PST.

* TIDE INFO…HIGH TIDE FROM TACOMA NORTHWARD TO FRIDAY HARBOR IS AROUND 8 AM…. THE TIDES AT ALL LOCATIONS WILL BE ABOUT 1 FOOT BELOW WHERE MINOR TIDAL OVERFLOW NORMALLY OCCURS.

* IMPACTS…WAVES MAY OCCASIONALLY SEND SEA WATER OVER LOWER SEAWALLS AROUND THE HIGH TIDE THIS MORNING. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… A COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY INDICATES THAT ONSHORE WINDS AND TIDES WILL COMBINE TO GENERATE MINOR FLOODING OF LOW AREAS ALONG THE SHORE.

Puget Sound Marine forecast has a Gale Warning until 9:00 am this morning being reduced to a Gale Watch through Tuesday afternoon.

 TODAY  S WIND 25 TO 35 KT EARLY…EASING TO 15 TO 25 KT BY AFTERNOON.  WIND WAVES 4 TO 6 FT…SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 4 FT IN THE AFTERNOON.  RAIN IN THE MORNING…THEN ISOLATED SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.

 TONIGHT  SE WIND TO 10 KT…BECOMING S 15 TO 25 KT AFTER  MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS…BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT AFTER  MIDNIGHT. RAIN.  

TUE  SW WIND 20 TO 30 KT…RISING TO 25 TO 35 KT IN THE  AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 4 TO 6 FT. SHOWERS IN THE MORNING…THEN  SCATTERED SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON.

We do have extremely high tides right now with a 12.49 estimated at 9:24 this morning. Tuesday’s high tide is 12.18 around 10:00 am.

Wind Alert shows the stronger winds tapering down following the high tide and shows winds picking up again this evening and the wee hours on Tuesday.

Filed Under: Puget Sound, Weather Tagged With:

Winter Storm Watch for Monday

December 4, 2016 by Leave a Comment

The National Weather Service has issued Winter Storm Watch for Monday with… the “s word”.

Winter Storm Watch

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
107 PM PST SUN DEC 4 2016

WAZ507-555-556-558-050615-
/O.NEW.KSEW.WS.A.0010.161206T0000Z-161206T1200Z/
/O.CON.KSEW.WW.Y.0030.161205T1200Z-161205T2000Z/
EVERETT AND VICINITY-EAST PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS-BELLEVUE AND VICINITY-
SEATTLE AND VICINITY-
107 PM PST SUN DEC 4 2016

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM TO NOON PST
MONDAY...
...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE
MONDAY NIGHT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SEATTLE HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM
WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE MONDAY
NIGHT.

* TIMING...SHOWERS WILL INCREASE MONDAY MORNING BETWEEN 4 AM AND
  NOON. SLIGHTLY WARMER TEMPERATURES WILL BRING MOSTLY RAIN
  SHOWERS BY AFTERNOON. COLDER AIR ARRIVES MONDAY EVENING WITH A
  PUGET SOUND CONVERGENCE ZONE PRODUCING SNOW SHOWERS DOWN TO SEA-
  LEVEL THROUGH LATE MONDAY NIGHT.

* SNOW AMOUNTS...A TRACE TO 2 INCHES ABOVE 500 FEET MONDAY
  MORNING. MONDAY NIGHT...LOCALLY UP TO 4 INCHES OF ADDITIONAL
  SNOW POSSIBLE FROM NORTH SEATTLE TO EVERETT AND EASTWARD TO THE
  FOOTHILLS INCLUDING THE BELLEVUE AREA. LITTLE OR NO SNOW
  ACCUMULATION ELSEWHERE AROUND THE METRO REGION NOT AFFECTED BY
  THE CONVERGENCE ZONE.

* SNOW LEVELS...MAINLY NEAR 500 FEET MONDAY MORNING...RISING IN
  THE AFTERNOON. SNOW LEVELS FALLING TO SEA-LEVEL MONDAY EVENING
  THROUGH LATE MONDAY NIGHT AS COLD NORTHERLY FRASER OUTFLOW
  DEVELOPS.

* IMPACTS...SLUSH ON SOME ROADWAYS ABOVE 500 FEET MAY CAUSE
  SLIPPERY DRIVING CONDITIONS MONDAY MORNING. TEMPERATURES FALLING
  INTO THE UPPER 20S MONDAY NIGHT WILL CAUSE ANY SNOW OR RECENT
  MOISTURE TO BECOME ICY DURING THE COMMUTES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW COULD
CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT
SNOW...SLEET...OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE
TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS
Filed Under: Weather

Barking Dog Report: Wind Advisory with High Tide

November 12, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Barking-Dog-ReportThe National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory starting at 9:00 am this morning and going though 3:00 pm this afternoon…this is just in time for a very high tide of 12.15 at 2:24 pm.

Remember, we call this a “barking dog report” because just like your neighbors dog that barks a little too much… sometimes there’s actually a reason for the barking. We issue a “barking dog report” when we think there is a good probability that we may have flooding from water coming over the bulkhead.

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
435 AM PST SAT NOV 12 2016

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM THIS MORNING TO 3 PM
PST THIS AFTERNOON...

* TIMING...STRONGEST WINDS WILL OCCUR FROM 9 AM THIS MORNING
  THROUGH 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON.

* WINDS...SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH.

* IMPACTS...WINDS OF THIS MAGNITUDE CAN BREAK TREE LIMBS FALLING
  ONTO ROADS...VEHICLES...AND ROOFTOPS. ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES ARE
  POSSIBLE.

2016-11-12-tides

The Puget Sound Marine forecast:

S WIND 15 TO 25 KT…BECOMING SW 20 TO 30 KT LATE IN THE
MORNING AND AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT…BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT.  RAIN IN THE MORNING…THEN A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.

Wind Alert has the strongest gusts predicted around 11:00 am through 2:00 pm today.

2016-11-12-wind

If not for the 12 foot tides and currently predicted strong southwest winds… I *might* not be yapping right now. And want to give neighbors as much notice as possible in the event some of us flood.

Weather forecast change constantly. These reports are from around 4:00 am this morning (not sure how current Wind Alerts reporting is).

Stay tuned and be safe!

Filed Under: Safety, Tides, Weather

Highly anticipated Cyclone Donald not so HUGE

October 15, 2016 by Leave a Comment

 

Looked just like another beauty day on Beach Drive around 2:00

storm-2-oclock

Things began to change up a bit at 3:00 on the horizon and you could see the water starting to churn up on the other side of the Sound due to easterly winds…

storm-3-oclock

 

White caps starting to form just after 4:00 and the tide looks a hell of a lot higher than the tables suggest (11.9). I’m guessing that there’s a bit of coastal flooding adding to the height…

storm-4-oclock

 

First burst of wind at 4:40 and finally seeing the rollers coming in from Tacoma at 5:00…

storm-5-oclock

 

Almost 6:00 and only a few slurps over the bulkhead.Looks like we dodged a bullet as far as flooding is concerned on Beach Drive SW. Now it’s time to kick back & enjoy the show with a hot toddy.

Filed Under: Alki, Bulkheads, Puget Sound, Weather
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