Where have we heard this before? High Wind Warning issued for western Whatcom County
We should be used to this by now.
Make sure your flashlights are handy, set your battery-powered alarm clock as back up, keep your small dogs inside and leave your umbrellas and hats at home — another in a long line of powerful storms is taking aim at Western Washington.
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before — the National Weather Service on Wednesday issued a high wind warning for western Whatcom County, including Bellingham, Ferndale and Sandy Point, beginning at 7 a.m. Thursday and stretching through 7 p.m. For those of you traveling, the warning also was issued for San Juan County, western Skagit County, the Everett, Tacoma, Seattle, Bellevue and Bremerton vicinities and the Admiralty Inlet and Hood Canal areas.
Sustained southeast winds are expected to range between 25 and 40 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph, according to the warning. Winds are predicted to increase rapidly Thursday morning, with the strongest gusts expected for a few hours Thursday afternoon, the NWS said, though, “This is not expected to be a prolonged event.”
According to an email from Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management Deputy Director John Gargett, the NWS also issued a small craft advisory and gale warning for Whatcom County waters from 10 p.m. Wednesday through 4 a.m. Friday, with winds expected to reach 30 to 45 knots and waves predicted to reach 5-7 feet in height on Thursday.
With high tide expected around 2 p.m. Thursday, Gargett said the projected tidal level could be 10.9 feet, and he warned drivers and beachgoers to be cautious along low-lying coast roads and beaches, particularly in Birch Bay, Sandy Point, Lummi Island and Point Roberts.
The chances for rain will be highest Wednesday night into Thursday, when it will range from 80 to 90 percent, according to the NWC forecast for Bellingham, though there will be a 30 percent chance of rain Thursday night and a 20 percent chance Friday night. High temperatures are expected to range from a 54 on Thursday to 45 on Friday, with overnight lows dipping into the upper- to mid-30s.
While this wind, rain, repeat cycle may be wearing thin for those of us near the coast, Mt. Baker Ski Area is loving it. According to the ski area’s latest snow report, the slopes received 10 inches of snow in the past 24 hours and now have a base of 77 inches at Heather Meadows and 100 inches at Pan Dome.
Not bad for a ski area that had less than two feet of snow less than two weeks ago.
In an article posted Tuesday, SnowBrains.com said Mt. Baker now has the deepest snowpack in North America, according to official snow reports.
