Strong winds, snow expected, as weekend storm hits Whatcom County
Gusty winds could knock out power overnight and possibly bring snow to some areas of lowland Whatcom County, while heavy snow is expected in the Mount Baker wilderness.
South winds of 30-40 mph, gusting to 50 mph are forecast, as a storm brings rain to the Bellingham area.
A 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, tweet from the National Weather Service in Seattle said peak winds in the last hour were 61 mph at Sandy Point and 42 mph in Bellingham.
Winds that strong could knock down tree limbs, causing scattered power outages, the Seattle office of the National Weather Service said in a wind advisory in effect from 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 17, to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18.
Lowland Whatcom County areas closer to the U.S.-Canada border also could see snow, according to an alert from Environment Canada.
Areas around Vancouver, B.C., could get 1 to 4 inches of snow, the Canadian weather service said.
Meanwhile, areas of Whatcom County above 3,000 feet could see up to 24 inches to 30 inches of snow, with wind gusts to 45 mph, according to a winter storm watch.
That’s good news for winter sports enthusiasts and the Mt. Baker Ski Area, which opened this week.
Ski area officials issued an advisory for deep snow and tree wells, and the Northwest Avalanche Center said Friday that the avalanche danger was moderate on the west slopes of the North Cascades.
This story was originally published December 17, 2021 at 11:49 AM.
