All about the West Seattle neighborhood around Beach Drive
We are sad to report that a deceased person has been found at Me Kwa Mooks park. At this time, it appears to be a suicide. Seattle Police and Fire Departments are on the scene.
The deceased person was discovered on a trail not far from the street by a friend while walking their dog.
Update 11:08 am:
The deceased person appears to be a white male.
If you or someone you know are in crisis, there is 24 hour help. You can call 866-427-4747 or visit https://www.crisisconnections.org
Around 3:30 this afternoon, we called the Coastguard when it appeared a boat was adrift. From our view point, we could not see if there was anyone on board. The Coastguard asked if we could send them a photo to help identify the boat (picture is above).
The intrepid reporter, Scupper and I hopped into our car to see if we could get a better vantage point of the boat. We called the Coastguard once we noticed that there was a person on-board (on the dinghy) and that the boat was getting dangerously close to Harbor West Condominiums.
The disabled cabin cruiser was pinned against the pilings of Harbor West Condos. The Coastguard confirmed with us that he is out of immediate danger as the boat seemed secured, and that they’re leaving.
Update:
A big turnout from both the Seattle Police and Seattle Fire Departments.
The boat was able to get free of the condo’s pilings and began to drift towards the reef just as the SPD and SFD boats arrived.
It appeared as though the boater did not want any help. He was in his dinghy pulling the boat away from the SPD and SFD just missing the reef by inches.
Seattle Fire Department was able to secure the boat and the boat operator.
Update: the boat is slowly being towed. We are wondering where it will end up.
Update 6:09 pm.
We are at Don Armeni boat launch where the Seattle Fire Department appear to be preparing to dock the boat.
Update 6:31pm
The boat is now secured at Don Armeni boat ramp.
Scupper assisted with helping to secure the boat to the dock.
The inhabitant on the boat stayed below deck while Scupper was assisting the fire and rescue crew. 
It’s Scupper’s opinion that this boat has not been under it’s own power for some time and his dinghy is used to maneuver the boat. It appears to be a derelict live-aboard boat.
It will be interesting to see what happens next. Obviously the boat cannot stay at Don Armeni tied to the boat ramp.
The Department of Natural Resources has a program for derelict boats but it appears that this man does not want to give up this boat/home.
EDITORS NOTE: This was a “live” post that was mostly done from my cell phone. My apologies for any typo’s I didn’t catch! We also have videos posted at www.facebook.com/beachdriveblog
Wind Alert is showing some potentially gusty winds in store later tonight. Our next high tide is 11.56 feet at 4:55 p.m. …just when the winds are predicted to pick up.
The Puget Sound Marine Forecast has issued a small craft advisory through tonight:
TODAY
S wind 15 to 25 kt rising to 20 to 30 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. Rain likely in the morning then rain in the afternoon.
TONIGHT
S wind 20 to 30 kt. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. Rain.
The UW’s forecast has not been updated since 3:08 am.
Seattle and Vicinity-
Including the cities of Seattle, Shoreline, Federal Way, and Kent
308 AM PST Tue Jan 22 2019
TODAY…Breezy. Rain likely in the morning, then rain in the afternoon. Rainfall amounts a quarter to a half inch possible. Highs in the mid to upper 40s. South wind 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 35 mph.
TONIGHT…Windy, rain. Rainfall amounts a quarter to a half inch possible. Lows in the lower to mid 40s. South wind 15 to 30 mph with gusts to 40 mph.
It looks like this may just miss us as far as any measurable flooding… however, it could be a spectacular night with plenty of splash. Stay tuned!
The USS Carl Vinson CVN-70 is heading to Bremerton, the ships home-port.
We have a high wind warning that goes into effect in about an hour that will coincide with high tides. There are a lot of mixed forecast tonight that are being hyped over various media outlets. We always prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
This was issued at 6:39 P.M. from the National Weather Service:
...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM PST SUNDAY...
The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a High Wind
Warning, which is in effect from 10 PM this evening to 10 AM PST
Sunday. The Wind Advisory is no longer in effect.
* WIND…South to southwest wind 20 to 35 mph with gusts 45 to 55
mph. A brief period with gusts to around 60 mph is possible
during the peak of the storm overnight.
* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…Hoquaim, Forks, Tacoma, Seattle,
Bremerton, and Friday Harbor.
* TIMING…South to southwest winds will rapidly develop late this
evening then ease around daybreak Sunday. For most of the area,
the strongest winds will occur in the early morning hours on
Sunday. In the central Puget Sound region, including Seattle,
the peak winds are expected between 2 AM and 4 AM.
* IMPACTS…Winds may down trees and cause power outages.
Dangerous cross winds will be possible on east-west oriented
roadways including I-90 and SR-520 across Lake Washington.
Temporary structures and fences may be damaged. Loose or
unsecured objects may be displaced.
High tide is predicted at 6:16 am to be 12.18 feet.
Here is the Wind Alert current prediction (subject to change, of course!)
Puget Sound Marine Forecast:
Puget Sound and Hood Canal-
831 PM PST Sat Jan 5 2019
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM PST SUNDAY
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM PST SUNDAY THROUGH
SUNDAY AFTERNOON
TONIGHT
E wind 15 to 25 kt becoming S 25 to 35 kt after
midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft building to 4 to 6 ft after
midnight. Rain likely in the evening then showers after midnight.
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. A
chance of showers.
It’s quite possible that this could be a big storm… but as far as flooding, we’re leaning towards that we’ll have impresive splash come over and might have to fire up the pumps between 4:00 am – 6:00 am but it won’t be significant based on the reports we review for our personal reference. This is probably a good time to remind our readers that we are not weather forecasters – we are just your neighbors sharing information that we use for our purposes.
It looks like we’re in for another windy day. With a wind advisory in effect until 4:00 pm today and an extra high tide of 12.59 feet at 10:32 this morning.
Here’s the current (8:08 am) Wind Alert forecast. If we do see gusts in the 40s around high tide, it’s quite possible we’ll see some water coming over the bulkhead.
The Puget Sound Marine forecast has a small craft advisory until 10am this morning (last update 2:41 am).
TODAY S wind 20 to 30 kt rising to 25 to 35 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 3 to 6 ft. Rain.
TONIGHT SW wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind becoming NW 10 to 20 kt N part in the evening and SW 10 to 20 kt S part in the evening. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. A chance of rain.
National Weather Service (4:00 am update).
...WIND ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON... * WIND...Southerly 20 to 35 mph with gusts 45 to 50 mph. * SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS...Port Townsend, Everett, Bremerton, Seattle, Tacoma, La Push, Ocean Shores, Westport, and Hoquiam. * IMPACTS...Winds may snap weak branches that have not been pruned by recent storms, produce isolated power outages, and make the driving of high-profile vehicles difficult. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Wind Advisory means that winds of 35 mph are expected. Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution.
We’re not sure if this is going to be a “Barking Dog Report” event where we think there will be flooding along Beach Drive… just something to keep alert about at this point… and we will be past high tide in just over two hours.
Stay tuned!
If you or someone you know owns or operates a vacation rental along Beach Drive or along Alki, you may want to let them know about regulations that are going into effect January 1, 2019 that will prohibit short term vacation rentals on waterfront homes and potentially including homes within 200 feet of Puget Sound.
We believe this is an unintended consequence from the City of Seattle labeling short term vacation rentals as “commercial lodging” which is not permitted per the shoreline code. This includes detached single family residences, condos, apartments and homes that are within 200 feet of the high water mark of Puget Sound (homes across the street from Puget Sound could be included). Other areas may be included as well if they are within the shoreline management restricted areas.
From the City of Seattle – one of their many pages regarding Short Term Rentals (aka “STR”s):
“Floating on-water residences, waterfront residences, and other areas where lodging activities are prohibited by the Shoreline Code“
We have owned and operated a short term vacation rental on Beach Drive for a couple of years. We are saddened that it looks like we will no longer be able to offer Beach Drive Bungalow as a vacation rental. Many of our guests over the years have been from neighbors and other Seattle-ites with visiting families.
Many who have owned and operated vacation rentals near the shoreline in Seattle may not know about this snafu. To our knowledge, there has been no notifications from the vacation rental platforms, like VRBO/Homeaway or AirbNb nor from the City of Seattle (unless you visit their website and try to make sense of the shoreline code).
I reached out weeks ago to our City Council. Today, I received my first response from a representative for O’Brien who stated:
“Thanks so much for reaching out to Councilmember O’Brien on this issue. I am sorry for the complicated and confusing nature of our code and that your property is no longer eligible as a STR. After looking into it a bit, my understanding is that this is due to the shoreline code – lodging activities are prohibited in Floating on-water residences, waterfront residences, and in specific shoreline environments. This was not a policy choice about waterfront locations specifically but rather just making it explicit that defining short-term rentals as a lodging use (and not a residential use) means prohibiting STRs where lodging uses are prohibited by the shoreline code. To modify this would require amending the shoreline code which typically requires working with and approval by the Department of Ecology.
Sorry to not have a more hopeful response for you. Have you considered renting the property as a long-term rental?”
No response yet from our West Seattle rep, Lisa Herbold.
We do plan on reaching out to the Department of Ecology.
If you have questions, you can email: str@seattle.gov.
We’ve had some waves coming over since around noon and building towards high tide which just passed minutes ago. This video is from about an hour ago. We have had to fire up the big ol’ trash pumps since this video.
I have more pictures and videos on Facebook. Hope you’re staying safe and not having too much trouble with the waves.
Good morning, Neighbors! Well the wind and rain is just starting to pick up along Beach Drive in West Seattle. We just passed low tide and are now on our way to an estimated 11.71 feet at 2:06 pm today.
Here’s a peek a the current forecast from Wind Alert.
The Puget Sound Marine Forecast (updated at 8:38 am) has a Gale Warning in effect through this evening.
S wind 20 to 30 kt rising to 35 to 45 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft building to 6 to 8 ft in the afternoon. Rain in the morning then rain likely in the afternoon.
The National Weather Service has issued a High Wind Warning. This was last updated at 3:29 a.m. I’m surprised it hasn’t been updated yet this morning…maybe they’re stalling to get a better read on pending storm? At 7:54 a.m. the NWS added a Special Weather Statement warning of a higher risk of landslides. Here’s the wind warning;
...HIGH WIND WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM PST THIS EVENING... * WIND...South to southeast wind 25 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph. * SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS...Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, and Bremerton. * TIMING...Winds will increase rapidly Thursday morning with the strongest gusts expected for a few hours Thursday afternoon. * IMPACTS...Snapped tree branches and downed trees along with some power outages. 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.
Bottom line, our plans have not changed since last night. We are preparing to flood and possibly lose power… the joys of living on Puget Sound! If you still have any patio furniture or other potential projectiles outside, you may want to secure them. Charge up your cell phones and have some candles ready. Stay safe, Neighbors!
Anytime we have waves predicted at 7 feet combined with high tides, it’s likely we’ll issue a barking dog report. This is a lengthy post so if you want the “bottom line”, we are preparing for the possibility of flooding around the second high tide tomorrow (11.79 feet at 2:44 pm). If we see anything near the currently predicted 7 foot waves, we could see water coming over our bulkhead starting around lunchtime. If you have a waterfront home along Beach Drive, you may want to prepare for potential flooding. With the strong winds that are predicted, we could see power outages as well.
Here’s what Wind Alert has currently (as of 8:40 am 12/19/18) predicted for Thursday:
And here are the predicted tides for Puget Sound:
High tides for Thursday, December 20, 2018 are 11.27 at 4:30 am and 11.79 at 2:44 pm. According to wind alert, we could see gusts in the mid to upper 40s approaching the afternoon high tide.
I’ve been stalling on this post waiting for updated forecast… here we go!
Puget Sound Marine Forecast has issued a small craft advisory in effect until 4:00 pm this afternoon and a gale warning from tonight through tomorrow at 4:00 pm.
THU S wind 25 to 35 kt rising to 30 to 40 kt in the afternoon. Wind waves 4 to 7 ft. Rain in the morning then rain likely in the afternoon.
THU 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.
The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning for tomorrow. Note: the local Seattle forecast from the NWS shows gusts as high as 50 mph tomorrow.
...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM TO 7 PM PST THURSDAY...
The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a High Wind
Warning, which is in effect from 7 AM to 7 PM PST Thursday. The
High Wind Watch is no longer in effect.
* WIND…South to southeast wind 25 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60
mph.
* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…Ferndale, Bellingham, Sandy Point,
Anacortes, Friday Harbor, Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, Everett,
and Bremerton.
* TIMING…Winds will increase rapidly Thursday morning with the
strongest gusts expected for a few hours Thursday afternoon.
This is not expected to be a prolonged event.
* IMPACTS…Snapped tree branches and downed trees along with
local power outages.
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.
City of Seattle forecast:
TONIGHT…Breezy. Cloudy with a chance of rain. Lows in the 40s. East wind 10 to 15 mph becoming south 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 35 mph after midnight.
THURSDAY…Very windy. Rain. Rainfall amounts a quarter to a half inch possible. Highs in the lower to mid 50s. South wind 15 to 30 mph with gusts to 40 mph increasing to 25 to 40 mph with gusts to 60 mph in the afternoon.
THURSDAY NIGHT…Windy. Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain in the evening, then partly cloudy with a slight chance of rain showers after midnight. Lows in the 30s to lower 40s. Southwest wind 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph decreasing to 10 to 15 mph after midnight.
We will be spending today getting our home ready for strong winds, potential flooding and loss of power. Mother Nature showed us yesterday with the tornado that touched down in Port Orchard that she is nothing to mess around with.
Of course, forecast can and do change – be sure to stay tuned!
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