Heavy winds possible late Sunday into Monday
Published 4:46 pm Friday, March 9, 2012
PDN news sources
The potential for high winds accompanying a storm blowing up the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Admiralty Inlet on Sunday night caused the National Weather Service to issue this statement today:
WAZ001-503>513-515>517-101315-
SAN JUAN COUNTY-WESTERN WHATCOM COUNTY-SOUTHWEST INTERIOR-
EAST PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS-WESTERN SKAGIT COUNTY-
EVERETT AND VICINITY-SEATTLE/BREMERTON AREA-TACOMA AREA-
ADMIRALTY INLET AREA-HOOD CANAL AREA-LOWER CHEHALIS VALLEY AREA-
OLYMPICS-WESTERN STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-NORTH COAST-CENTRAL COAST-
1131 AM PST FRI MAR 9 2012
…POTENTIAL HIGH WIND EVENT FROM LATE SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH
MONDAY…
THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A SIGNIFICANT AND DAMAGING HIGH WIND
EVENT FOR PARTS OF WESTERN WASHINGTON FROM LATE SUNDAY NIGHT
THROUGH THE DAY ON MONDAY. THE STRONGEST WIND AND THE HIGHEST
POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGE WILL BE ALONG THE COAST. DEPENDING ON THE
EVOLUTION OF THIS WEATHER SETUP…THE NORTH INTERIOR…THE
ADMIRALTY INLET AREA…AND THE SOUTH PUGET SOUND REGION COULD ALSO
EXPERIENCE STRONG AND DAMAGING WIND ON MONDAY.
THE SETUP WILL BE A RAPIDLY INTENSIFYING STORM CENTER PASSING OFF
THE WASHINGTON COAST ON MONDAY MORNING. THE LOW CENTER WILL PEAK
IN STRENGTH JUST BEFORE REACHING THE COASTAL WATERS WEST OF
VANCOUVER ISLAND ON MONDAY AFTERNOON.
COMPUTER MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON THE RAPID
INTENSIFICATION OF THE LOW PRESSURE CENTER AND ITS NORTH-NORTHEAST
MOVEMENT OFF THE COAST. HOWEVER…MODELS DIFFER ON THE TRACK OF
THE STILL- UNDEVELOPED LOW…PASSING IT ANYWHERE BETWEEN 125 MILES
AND 250 MILES WEST OF LAPUSH. THE STRENGTH OF WIND AND DAMAGE
POTENTIAL WILL DEPEND GREATLY ON HOW CLOSE THE LOW CENTER PASSES
TO THE COAST…WITH THE GREATEST SENSITIVITY OVER INTERIOR
LOCATIONS.
PERSONS ALONG THE COAST SHOULD BEGIN EARLY PREPARATION FOR THIS
POTENTIAL HIGH WIND EVENT. PEOPLE WITH CONCERNS OVER THE NORTH
INTERIOR…IN THE ADMIRALTY INLET AREA AND OVER THE SOUTH PUGET
SOUND REGION SHOULD CONTINUE MONITORING THE LATEST FORECAST
UPDATES. BE SURE TO CHECK BACK THIS WEEKEND FOR THE LATEST
STATEMENTS… WATCHES… WARNINGS AND FORECASTS FROM THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE.
For further explanation, here’s a narrative by Port Angeles native Scott Sistek, a meteorologist with our news partner, KOMO, in Seattle: http://tinyurl.com/7m2jtmd
