Flood threat, outages follow high wind warning across western Whatcom

A warm, wet and windy storm sweeping into Western Washington from the South Pacific, bringing strong winds and heavy rain Monday and Tuesday.

About 1,000 Puget Sound Energy customers were without power in scattered small outages around Whatcom County as of 1:30 p.m. Monday, according to the utility company’s website.

Trees and branches were falling onto roads and power lines across the region, according to unconfirmed reports from What-Comm 911 radio dispatches.

Meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Seattle issued both a high wind warning and a flood watch for the lowlands of Whatcom County.

In addition, a coastal flood watch was issued for 7 to 10 a.m. Tuesday, as low pressure coincides with a high tide, meteorologists said.

It’s a classic Pineapple Express storm, the weather service said at its website.

Sustained winds of 25 to 40 mph with gusts to 60 mph were forecast starting noon Monday and ending about 4 a.m. Tuesday.

A gale warning was in effect through Monday night for coastal waters of the Salish Sea.

Power outages are likely because this is the first major windstorm of fall, the weather service said.

Monday’s storm is also bringing heavy rainfall to the western slopes of the North Cascades, prompting a flood watch for the Nooksack River.

Forecasts were calling for 1 to 1.5 inches of rain in the Whatcom County lowlands, and 4 to 6 inches of rain in the Cascades.

Because the storm is laden with warm moisture, mountain snow levels will rise to around 8,000 feet and rain will fall directly into the Nooksack River system.

By 1:30 p.m. Monday, winds were blowing from the south-southeast at 31 mph at Bellingham International Airport, with gusts as strong as 47 mph.

Light rain was falling with temperatures near 60.

On the Nooksack River near Nugents Corner, the river gage height measured just below 140 feet at 1:30 p.m. Monday.

Forecasts were showing a sharp rise Monday to just below the moderate flood stage of 148 feet by Tuesday afternoon.

On the Nooksack River at Ferndale, the gage height was just above 8 feet at 1:30 p.m. Monday.

Forecasts were showing a sharp rise Tuesday through Thursday, with the river cresting Wednesday afternoon just below the moderate flood stage of 20.5 feet.

This story was originally published November 26, 2018 at 7:55 AM.