First storm of 2019 won’t be ‘perfect storm,’ but power losses are possible
A storm will blow through Western Washington to open the new year, and with it comes the threat of minor flooding, power outages and winds almost as strong as the big blow from two weeks ago.
A high-wind advisory is in effect Thursday for southeast winds at 25-35 mph with gusts to 50 mph, along with a flood watch and a gale warning for the Salish Sea.
“It doesn’t look like this is going to be as strong,” said meteorologist Reid Wolcott at the National Weather Service in Seattle.
“The winds will still be there, but the complicating factors will be less,” he said Wednesday in a telephone interview with The Bellingham Herald.
Wolcott said a previous high wind watch was downgraded to an advisory Wednesday morning.
“With this one, the wind direction is going to be a little different and the winds overall won’t be as strong,” he said.
He said there still could be power outages and that winds might reach 40 mph with gusts to around 60 mph for a short time Thursday afternoon.
But the storm’s overall impact should be less than the “perfect storm” that roared across Whatcom County on Dec. 20, knocking out power to thousands of Puget Sound Energy customers and causing about $5 million in damage so far across Whatcom County.
Worst winds are expected in Bellingham, Friday Harbor, Oak Harbor, Port Townsend and Anacortes, the weather service said at its website.
Wolcott said that the possibility of coastal damage from seasonal high tide is less likely with this storm because the surge will be 1-2 feet less.
Even so, a small craft warning was in effect Wednesday and a gale warning was posted Thursday for inland waters Including the San Juan Islands, with southeast winds rising to 25-40 knots.
Start of the crabbing season could also be affected, forecasters said.
“Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller vessels, should avoid navigating in these conditions,” the weather service said at its website.
In addition, a flood watch was issued for Thursday through Saturday morning, because the storm is carrying warm air and heavy rain.
Rainfall of up to 1 .5 inches was forecast for the Whatcom County lowlands, with amounts as high as 4-6 inches Thursday falling in the North Cascades near Mount Baker.
Daytime temperatures through Saturday will be from the mid-40s to the low 50s. Lows will be from the mid-30s to around 40 degrees.
Heavy rain in the Olympics and North Cascades Wednesday night and Thursday will cause significant rises on rivers with headwaters in these mountains, the weather said at its website. “Minor flooding is possible on some rivers.”
The heaviest rain is expected in the Olympics and the western slopes of the North Cascades in Whatcom and Skagit counties.
Impacted rivers include the Nooksack River’s north fork, which runs along the Mount Baker Highway past the mountain village of Glacier and through Deming, Lynden and Ferndale.
Minor flooding inundates low-lying areas and makes some roads impassable.
Most forecast models from the U.S. Geological Survey indicate that the Nooksack will crest at minor flood stage Thursday through Saturday as the rising waters surge downstream.
This story was originally published January 2, 2019 at 9:21 AM.
