PORT ANGELES — The first of two storms forecasted to hit the Olympic Peninsula this week could be worse for residents on the west end of the peninsula than previously thought.
A low center is tracking just off the coast, meaning tonight’s storm could be could be worse on the coast than the storm Saturday, said Andy Haner, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
He said the coast, Forks and Quileute areas could expect 40-to-45 mph sustained winds with gusts as high as 65 mph. The Port Angeles area should be sheltered from the southerly winds, he said.
Sequim had already seen the early effects as the storm approached Thursday.
Staff with the City of Sequim’s Public Works Department closed the Olympic Discovery Trail across the Johnson Creek Trestle between Lofgrin Road and Whitefeather Way Thursday afternoon due to a fallen tree.
David Garlington, public works director, said he wanted to remove the tree before high winds kicked in Thursday night and could further damage the trestle.
He said high winds on Wednesday night likely brought the tree down.
Residents have began preparing for the storms as well. At least one store, the Home Depot in Sequim, was already out of generators by Thursday afternoon.
The storm Saturday, remnants of Super Typhoon Songda, has good odds of being one of the strongest storms in Pacific Northwest history, Haner said.
Now the National Weather Service believes there’s more than a 50 percent shot this could be among the strongest storms the area has seen in recent history.
“The storm’s center is coming directly across the Peninsula Saturday evening,” he said. Models had previously shown the storm heading north over Vancouver Island instead of into the Puget Sound.
As the storm approaches, Port Angeles could see sustained winds 25-35 mph winds with gusts up to 50 mph from the east.
Once the low center passes the Olympics, the mountains should shadow Port Angeles from the southerly winds.
With the storm tracking toward the Puget Sound, the east end of the peninsula could see stronger winds than previously thought. Port Townsend could be hit with 35-40 mph sustained winds with gusts around 60 mph.
The west end could see easterly winds gusting up to 50 mph as the storm approaches Saturday. Once it passes, Haner said, the area is looking at 25-35 mph sustained winds with gusts up to 50 mph.
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.
