We just spied the USS John C. Stennis returning to her home port of Bremerton.
While doing a little research, I found this CNN documentary about the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) that I’d thought I’d share.
USS John C. Stennis returning home
November 20, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Do you recall the sinking of The Dix? Check out this video.
November 19, 2015 by Leave a Comment
One of our readers shared this video with us of the sinking of passenger ship, The Dix. Thanks, Mark!
HISTORY: A Night to Remember from Avenue Collection on Vimeo.
High Wind Watch and Gale Watch: BARKING DOG REPORT
November 16, 2015 by Leave a Comment
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:
Tuesday
Rain. High near 56. Windy, with a south southwest wind 28 to 38 mph, with gusts as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Tuesday Night
Rain before 10pm, then showers after 10pm. Low around 44. Breezy, with a southwest wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible
…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.
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.
Wind Advisory through 4:00 pm Friday.
November 12, 2015 by Leave a Comment
We currently have a Wind Advisory in effect through Friday afternoon along with a Gale Warning for Puget Sound.
…WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM PST FRIDAY…
TONIGHT…WINDY…RAIN. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH POSSIBLE. LOWS IN THE MID 40S TO LOWER 50S. SOUTH WIND 20 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH.
FRIDAY…WINDY…RAIN. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A HALF INCH TO ONE INCH POSSIBLE. HIGHS IN THE MID 50S TO LOWER 60S. SOUTH WIND 20 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH.
FRIDAY NIGHT…RAIN. RAIN MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OVER ONE INCH POSSIBLE. LOWS IN THE MID 40S TO LOWER 50S. SOUTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH BECOMING NORTHEAST AFTER MIDNIGHT.
TONIGHT S WIND 25 TO 35 KT. WIND WAVES 4 TO 6 FT. RAIN.
FRI S WIND 25 TO 35 KT. WIND WAVES 4 TO 6 FT. RAIN.
FRI NIGHT SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT…BECOMING NE TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT…SUBSIDING TO 1 FT OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAIN.
We have tide of 10.28 at 4:54 tonight followed by a higher tide of 11.64 at 6:57 tomorrow morning.
Stay tuned!
Orcas seen off of Beach Drive
November 10, 2015 by Leave a Comment
What a treat to be able to watch Orcas from your back yard! I don’t recall ever seeing them this close to the shore.
It was a real show stopper this afternoon at Emma Schmitz View Point as cars and people lined Beach Drive to catch a view of the whales.
Killers chasing chum off of Beach Drive
November 5, 2015 by 2 Comments
Several onlookers lined the sidewalk along Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook watching a nearby Orca pod. The whales have been spotted all over the area for the last couple of days according to West Seattle Blog reports. The Orca are most likely chasing the large fall chum salmon run which contains nearly 90% of the entire annual chum numbers that migrate down to central & south Puget Sound.
It was also reported that The Whale Trail organization has spotted other aquatic species in the area as well.
Well, maybe not ALL of them…
Scupper, reporting for Beach Drive Blog
Wind Advisory in effect until 6pm Sunday
October 31, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Trick-or-Treater’s may need to hang on tight to their goody bags tonight. The Wind Advisory has been extended until tomorrow night.
Seattle Forecast:
…WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM PST SUNDAY…
TONIGHT…WINDY. SHOWERS IN THE EVENING…THEN SHOWERS AND A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AFTER MIDNIGHT. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH POSSIBLE…EXCEPT HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE IN THUNDERSTORMS. LOWS IN THE MID 40S TO LOWER 50S. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 25 MPH BECOMING SOUTHWEST 15 TO 30 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT. GUSTS TO 45 MPH.
SUNDAY…WINDY. SHOWERS AND A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH POSSIBLE…EXCEPT HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE IN THUNDERSTORMS. HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 50S. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH.
SUNDAY NIGHT…SHOWERS LIKELY. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH POSSIBLE. LOWS IN THE 40S. SOUTHWEST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH. GUSTS TO 30 MPH.
Tomorrow morning, high tide of 11.66 will be at 9:04 am.
PS: Don’t forget to set your clocks back tonight.
Slow down with Proposition 1 …opinion
October 30, 2015 by 3 Comments
SDOT’s new levy project to move most of Seattle sounds like another great plan for West Seattle (remember the monorail Green Line?). Status quo with more bike lanes and speed enforcement is exactly what we need! Let’s take closer look at each enhancement…
Fauntleroy Way: Key elements include paving, adding a protected bike lane, transit enhancements, and signal upgrades, improving safety and reliability for all travelers. Sounds terrific for Vashon Island comutters. How much $ are they contributing again??
Roxbury Street & 35th Ave: Over the last three years, 294 collisions, 128 injuries, and 2 fatalities have occurred. We are currently planning and designing near-term safety improvements paired with education and enforcement, working towards the city’s Vision. I believe a majority of these accidents occur from drivers slamming on their breaks trying to avoid the traffic-cop camera’s mailing out $190 tickets for doing 22 in a 20mph School Zone… when lights are flashing or children present or distracted by taking your eyes off the road to get a read on the myriad of signs designed to “educate us”.
SW Alaska Street: The levy would provide funding to make safety improvements like redesigning the roadway. That’s an easy one. Just put the design back to where it was before adding the “bus only” & the staggered right turn only lane. Can you imagine being an out-of-towner trying to drive that stretch all the way to the junction?
Admiral Way: Project Goals
- Encourage slower speeds Tell that to the bikers doing 40 mph down the hill.
- Reduce collisions Collisions happen.
- Accommodate existing maximum on-street parking occupancy There’s plenty of occupancy in motor homes & vans along Beach Drive.
- Provide a comfortable and predictable bike connection between Alki and California Ave business district Why just bikes?
Here’s a more comprehensive plan that’s much more inclusive to our residents…
The rest of the levy just repairs what we already have at a cost of $275 per year per household (median household of 450K) as opposed to the $130 we’re currently paying with the Bridge the Gap levy.
I’m convinced that the rest of the city just believes we West Seattleites love a good parade and need to slow down. While crawling in traffic between Admiral & Fauntleroy junctions yesterday, I reminisced of escorting my HiYu princess along California Ave. I wanted to roll down my window and give the float wave to all the angry impatient drivers heading the other way.
If you ask me, the rest of the city better look out. Old timers tell us it only took 71 years to get the high level bridge over the Duwamish!
Seattleites endured in trying to secure a high-level bridge that would get them to and from “the mainland” without being held up by boat traffic along the Duwamish River.
West Seattleites began campaigning for the bridge in 1916 and at one point threatened to secede from the city if it didn’t deliver.
Thank goodness we now have the West Seattle Bridge. Where else can you sit in traffic all day, soak in the wonderful views and dream of the day Starbucks can land a 4th cup of jo on your car hood’s drone pad.
They first named Alki “little New York” when the city founders came ashore. Now with all the new high density residential buildings coming on-line, we are becoming the “little Manhattan Island” of Seattle and could use a transportation plan that helps us get around.
Scupper, blathering opinions on Beach Drive Blog (My wife, the blog boss, only allows me 1 opinion per year!)
UPDATE: Wind Advisory and Gale Warning in Effect through Saturday
October 30, 2015 by Leave a Comment
3:25 PM UPDATE: Puget Sound Marine Forecast has been updated at 3:00 PM…looks like we’re in for wicked weather! Our next high tide that coincides with the wind is an 11.93 at 9:06 am. <gulp>
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING
TONIGHT S WIND 15 TO 25 KT…RISING TO 25 TO 35 KT DURING THE EVENING. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT…BUILDING TO 4 TO 6 FT. RAIN.
SAT S WIND 25 TO 35 KT…BECOMING SW 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 4 TO 6 FT…SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 3 FT. RAIN.
SAT NIGHT S WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. SHOWERS LIKELY.
Seattle City Forecast:
…WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON PDT SATURDAY…
TONIGHT…RAIN. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A HALF INCH TO ONE INCH POSSIBLE. LOWS IN THE MID 50S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 20 MPH. GUSTS TO 25 MPH INCREASING TO 40 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SATURDAY…WINDY IN THE MORNING…RAIN. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A HALF INCH TO ONE INCH POSSIBLE. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 50S TO MID 60S. SOUTH WIND 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH BECOMING SOUTHWEST 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.
SATURDAY NIGHT…BREEZY…SHOWERS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH POSSIBLE. LOWS NEAR 50. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 20 MPH BECOMING SOUTHWEST 15 TO 25 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT. GUSTS TO 35 MPH.
SUNDAY…BREEZY. SHOWERS LIKELY AND A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH POSSIBLE…EXCEPT HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE IN THUNDERSTORMS. HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MID 50S. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH.
SUNDAY NIGHT…BREEZY…SHOWERS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A TENTH TO A QUARTER OF AN INCH POSSIBLE. LOWS IN THE MID 40S. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH DECREASING TO 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 25 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT
9:59 AM UPDATE: I could swear I checked the marine forecast before publishing this original post at 8:40 this morning…oh well!
We now have a Gale Warning in effect until 3PM this afternoon per the Marine Forecast.
PZZ135-310100- PUGET SOUND AND HOOD CANAL-
830 AM PDT FRI OCT 30 2015
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON
TODAY S WIND 25 TO 35 KT…BECOMING SW 10 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT…SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 3 FT LATE. RAIN.
TONIGHT S WIND 5 TO 15 KT…EASING TO 10 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. RAIN.
SAT SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. RAIN.
SAT NIGHT SW WIND 10 TO 20 KT…RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT…BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT.
Here’s a nice graphic of our weather for today and tomorrow from the National Weather Service.
8:40 AM This just in…
…WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON…
REST OF TODAY…WINDY. RAIN AT TIMES. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH POSSIBLE. HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MID 60S. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH EASING TO SOUTHWEST 15 TO 25 MPH LATE IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT…RAIN. RAINFALL AMOUNTS ONE TO THREE INCHES POSSIBLE. LOWS IN THE 50S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH DECREASING TO 10 MPH OR LESS AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SATURDAY…RAIN. RAIN MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES. RAINFALL AMOUNTS ONE TO THREE INCHES POSSIBLE. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 50S TO MID 60S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 20 MPH BECOMING SOUTHWEST 15 TO 20 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.
SATURDAY NIGHT…WINDY. SHOWERS LIKELY. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH POSSIBLE. LOWS NEAR 50. SOUTHWEST WIND 15 TO 20 MPH INCREASING TO 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SUNDAY…BREEZY. SHOWERS LIKELY. RAINFALL AMOUNTS A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH POSSIBLE. HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MID 50S. SOUTHWEST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH BECOMING SOUTH 15 TO 25 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.
Watch for wicked wind and waves…
October 29, 2015 by Leave a Comment
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.
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