Attention Neighbors with Boats afloat or Umbrellas adorning Decks – Windy Weather Ahead

You’ve probably heard the forecast that we are in for a soaker on Friday. It also looks like we’re in for some wind according to the current forecast from WindAlert.


Just a heads up in case you have a boat out in the sound right now OR if you happen to have your lovely summer umbrellas on your patios before the potentially very gusty winds hit. The above forecast is showing potential gusts up to 44 mph on Friday afternoon around 2pm with the wind not really letting up until Sunday. Of course the weather here is constantly changing… but it’s always good to be prepared.

We’ll have to get closer to Friday to know if the forecast stays true and if there’s a potential for waves to cause flooding. ‘Tis the Season!

Barking Dog Report – Howling Weather Ahead

We’re kicking off fall with a “barking dog report”. It’s been a while since we’ve issued a barking dog report so here’s a quick refresher. Whenever we’re preparing for serious weather, typically with the potential for flooding or strong winds, we try to issue a “barking dog report”. You can consider it similar to your neighbors dog who might bark to give a warning…it could be nothing or it could be something to be concerned about. For the record, Scupper and I are not weather experts. 🙂

We are checking out the upcoming forecast which seems to have long periods of strong winds starting in the wee hours tomorrow morning through Sunday. Check out the current graph from WindAlert.

Current Puget Sound Marine Forecast as of 7:51 this morning:

 WED  S wind 10 to 20 kt rising to 15 to 25 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. Rain.

 WED NIGHT  S wind 15 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft.  THU  S wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 2 to 4 ft.  

THU NIGHT  S wind 10 to 20 kt. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft.  

Luckily it looks like the upcoming tides won’t be high enough to cause flooding (at least not with our home).

Hopefully this storm just provides some spectacular splash. Stay safe, Neighbors!

 

Wind, Rain and Snow…oh my!

We have currently have a Wind Advisory in effect starting at 10:00 am this morning through 7:00 am tomorrow morning. Along with a Special Weather Statement warning of higher risks of landslides due to heavy rainfall.

Wind Alert is predicting a very windy day and shows the same snow forecast as well.

Here are the upcoming high tides:

  • 11.6 ft @ 9:08 am – Fri, Jan 31 
  • 8.00 ft @ 9:40 pm – Fri, Jan 31
  • 11.3 ft @ 9:43 am – Sat, Feb 1
  • 8.00 ft @ 11:07 pm – Sat, Feb 1

Puget Sound Marine Forecast (from 2:41 am)

Puget Sound and Hood Canal- 241 AM PST Fri Jan 31 2020 SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON GALE WATCH IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON

TODAY: S wind 15 to 25 kt rising to 20 to 30 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. Rain.

TONIGHT: S wind 30 to 40 kt. Wind waves 5 to 7 ft. Rain.  

SAT: SW wind 20 to 30 kt. Wind becoming NW 25 to 35 kt N part  in the afternoon. Wind waves 4 to 6 ft. Rain.

SAT NIGHT SW wind 10 to 20 kt except NW 20 to 30 kt N part in  the evening. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft except 3 to 5 ft N part in the evening.

We are on the fence on as to whether or not this should be one of our “Barking Dog” reports… this weather is certainly enough to make us whine and whimper. Should the winds really pick up and be from the southwest, then we are likely to see some of water come over our bulkhead. It’s 8:14 AM as I am writing this with just shy of an hour to go before our high tide of 11.6 feet. It’s grey and wet out and I’m hoping that by the time the winds pick up that the tides will be low enough to just give us spectacular spray. We have a lower high tide tonight with potentially stronger winds. 

Bottom line, I think hubby will be making sure our pumps and generators are operational today! 

Wish our Seahawks were playing this weekend and we hope you stay warm and dry.

Storm Response Map for Seattle

A huge thank you to Stephanie, one of our readers, for sharing this link showing which roads are being serviced in the event of snow. I’ve added a link to this helpful site to “Swell Links” on the right side of this blog.

It appears we have a chance of snow in the forecast until this weekend.

And it looks like tonight will be another windy one. Stay warm, Neighbors!

Possible Water Spout on Puget Sound

Yesterday one of our neighbors captured video of what looks like the beginnings of a water spout off the shores of Alki Point.

Video credit: Barb Howell

Other neighbors contacted us as well inquiring about the water wind wonder on Puget Sound. We don’t have any meteorologist in our household…but this certainly looks spouty to me!

Potential Barking Dog Report: Wind, Waves and High Tides predicted for tomorrow

We have been keeping an eye on our mobile aps, WindAlert and PredictWind, which are both indicating that we could be in for quite a storm tomorrow morning. This, of course, coincides with very high tides of 12.8 feet at 7:00 am tomorrow morning.

Check out the tides predicted for tomorrow and how it potentially pairs with the wind forecast.

Here is the Puget Sound and Hood Canal Marine Forecast (last updated at 2:41 am):

 FRI  S wind 20 to 30 kt. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. A chance of rain  in the morning then rain likely in the afternoon.

 FRI NIGHT  S wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 5 to 15 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 2 ft or less after midnight.

If this forecast holds, we think there’s a strong potential that we could experience waves slosh over our bulkhead… especially if the wind direction leans to the southwest.

Last but not least, we’ve used a picture of a howling golden retriever for our “barking dog” reports warning of potential weather issues. We thought you might like to see our retriever in action.

Hitch dedicates this song to his favorite gal, Indie.

Are you ready for more snow?

This morning we decided to drive to Lincoln Park before the next winter storm hits. Beach Drive was overall in good condition to drive with sporadic spots of ice (we do have all wheel drive). The north parking lot at Lincoln Park was closed. The south lot was open and icy.

The National Weather Service recently updated the forecast with a Winter Weather Advisory starting at 4:00 pm today and a Winter Storm Watch beginning on Monday.

UPDATED: 1153 AM PST Sun Feb 10 2019

…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS
AFTERNOON TO 4 AM PST MONDAY…
…WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING
THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON…

* WHAT…Snow expected late this afternoon and tonight with
accumulations of 2 to 4 inches likely. Heavy snow accumulations
of 5 to 10 inches are possible Monday afternoon and Monday
evening before precipitation possibly mixes with freezing rain,
rain or sleet.

* WHERE…Portions of west central Washington.

* WHEN…For the Winter Weather Advisory, from 4 PM this
afternoon to 4 AM PST Monday. For the Winter Storm Watch, from
Monday morning through Tuesday afternoon.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…Travel could be very difficult to
impossible.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A Winter Weather Advisory for snow means periods of snow will
cause primarily travel difficulties. Expect snow covered roads
and limited visibilities, and use caution while driving.

A Winter Storm Watch means there is potential for significant
snow, sleet or ice accumulations that may impact travel. Continue
to monitor the latest forecasts.

For the latest road conditions in Washington state, call 5 1 1.

I am seeing the “s-word” in the forecast until Saturday! Please note the NWS advisory above does cover well beyond Seattle… hopefully we won’t wind up with as much snow as it looks possible. If we were to receive the highest amount of snow as predicted in the forecast below, we’d wind up with over a foot of snow by Tuesday!

The snow does make some people happy.

Winter Storm Warning and Gale Watch

It looks like we could be in for a doozie of storm starting later today. I’m amazed at the pics I’ve seen on social media of the empty shelves in several grocery stores in West Seattle! We will continue to keep you posted as much as possible. If we lose power, you’ll find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/beachdriveblog 

Here’s the data we have as of writing this post at 8:24 this morning:

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE (UPDATED 2:19 AM)


...WINTER STORM WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 4 PM PST
SATURDAY...

* WHAT...Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 6
  inches expected. Local snowfall accumulations of 8 inches. North
  to northeast winds will increase late tonight and Saturday to 15
  to 30 mph with some local gusts to 45 mph. The wind will likely
  reduce visibility at times due to blowing snow, especially near
  shorelines of the inland waters.

* WHERE...Portions of northwest and west central Washington,
  including Seattle, Everett, Tacoma, Bremerton, Bellevue, North
  Bend, Redmond, Kent, Port Angeles, Sequim, Oak Harbor, and Mount
  Vernon.

* WHEN...From Noon today to 4 PM PST Saturday. The heaviest
  snowfall accumulations for most of the area will occur between 3
  PM this afternoon and 10 PM this evening.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...A period of 2 inch per hour snowfall
  accumulations is likely during todays late afternoon and evening
  commute in the Tacoma, Everett, Seattle, and Bremerton area.
  Travel is likely to become very difficult. Areas of blowing snow
  could contribute to reduced visibility late tonight into
  Saturday.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Winter Storm Warning for snow means severe winter weather
conditions will make travel very hazardous or impossible. If you
must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your
vehicle in case of an emergency.

For the latest road conditions in Washington state, call 5 1 1.

Puget Sound - Hood Canal Marine Forecast - Gale Watch 6:00 PM - Saturday Night (Last updated: 

 TONIGHT
 NE wind 15 to 25 kt rising to 25 to 35 kt after
 midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft building to 4 to 6 ft after
 midnight. Snow.

 SAT
 N wind 25 to 35 kt easing to 20 to 30 kt in the afternoon.
 Wind waves 4 to 6 ft. Snow in the morning then a chance of snow
 in the afternoon.

 SAT NIGHT
 N wind 25 to 35 kt. Wind waves 4 to 6 ft.

 SUN
 NW wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 10 to 20 kt in the
 afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft.

Wind Alert has two different models of slightly different stories...both have snow. 

Stay warm, Neighbors!

Possible Windy Night

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!

High Tides and Winds

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!