Ready for fall? Here’s what the season’s first storm could bring to Whatcom this week
Autumn arrived with a storm packing heavy rain and strong winds expected to hit the Northwest late Tuesday, Sept. 22.
Bellingham and Whatcom County lie right in the path of heaviest wind and rain, meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Seattle said.
“Well, it looks like fall is going to waste no time making its presence known,” the weather service tweeted Monday. “A weather system will bring widespread rain — heavy in spots — and wind to the area Wednesday with showers continuing through at least Friday.”
Forecasters said the worst of the storm is expected starting early Wednesday, Sept. 23, with south-southeast winds to 25 mph, gusting to 45 mph.
Heaviest winds were expected near the coast.
An inch or more of rain was possible.
“Expect heavy rain with fast accumulation throughout the day on Wednesday,” meteorologist Mary Butwin said in the online forecast discussion Tuesday. “Winds will also be picking up as the front moves through. This is especially true for the coastal regions and in the northwest interior.”
Localized power outages and tree damage are possible because trees still have most of their leaves, the weather service said.
Fallen leaves could clog storm drains and cause street flooding.
Thunderstorms were possible Wednesday night.
Rain and showers will continue Thursday into Saturday, with temperatures in the mid-60s.
This week’s storms could turn what has been a warm, dry month into one that’s more statistically normal, according to records from Bellingham International Airport.
September high temperatures were averaging 6 degrees above normal at 73 through Tuesday, with 0.09 inches of rain — far below the normal 1.78 inches.
This story was originally published September 22, 2020 at 7:35 AM.
