Wet, windy weekend ahead for Whatcom County, and maybe some power outages
A series of blustery fall storms is poised to strike Whatcom County with breezy winds and occasionally heavy rain through early next week.
“This is the first fall storm that may have impacts on the coast of Whatcom County,” said John Gargett, deputy director of the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management.
A wind advisory was issued for Friday night, warning of south winds at 20-30 mph with gusts to 50 mph.
“Residents with boats in marinas should take preemptive actions to secure their vessels. People living on the coast should be prepared for high winds. There are two periods of potential concern, over Thursday night, then again over Friday night. Peak wind gusts each night may reach 40 to 50 knots from the southeast,” Gargett told The Herald in an email.
Coastal communities in Whatcom County might see minor tidal effects from an expected storm surge tide of about a half-foot, he said.
In its online forecast discussion, the National Weather Service in Seattle said that the first storm will hit Thursday night, followed by a break before the next weather system hits Friday night.
“The main feature with this frontal passage will be breezy conditions where locations more prone to higher wind speeds, such as along the coast, the San Juan Islands and western portions of Skagit and Whatcom counties will see sustained wind speeds maxing out in the 20 mph to 30 mph range with gusts up to 40 mph. This will fall just short of any headline criteria but may still create isolated occurrences of downed limbs or power lines,” the Weather Service said.
Friday offers a brief break, but a stronger storm arrives later Friday and winds could reach advisory levels by Saturday, according to the forecast.
“The follow-up system will start to impact the area Friday night with most of the action taking place throughout the day Saturday. Both winds and rainfall amounts will be greater when compared to the previous system,” the weather service said.
Snow will fall in the North Cascades and the weather service issued a winter storm warning through Saturday. Up to 2 feet of snow is possible down to about 4,500 feet.
A gale warning was issued for coastal waters.
Creeks and rivers in Western Washington will rise from persistent rain, including the Nooksack River. But predictions from the Northwest River Forecast Center show that levels will remain below flood stage.
Another break in the weather will come Sunday, but then a third storm arrives Sunday night, a pattern that could continue until Wednesday.
“An upper level trough off the Pacific coast will cycle additional weather systems into the area, keeping conditions active for the final act of the weekend and into early next week,” the weather service said.
This story was originally published November 9, 2023 at 12:36 PM.
