Wednesday’s wet, windy weather is just the beginning for Whatcom, forecasters say
Rain fell and winds gusted to nearly 40 mph Wednesday, Sept. 23, as the first in a string of autumn storms hit Whatcom County.
Forecasters warned that the storm, coming from the southwest off the Pacific Ocean, could topple trees and limbs, causing power outages, minor street flooding and other damage.
“An early season atmospheric river will continue to pump moisture into the region thru this evening,” the National Weather Service tweeted Wednesday from its Seattle office. “This will bring widespread heavy rain to the area throughout the day.”
Sustained wInds of 25 mph were recorded at noon at Bellingham International Airport.
Winds gusting to 45 mph were forecast, along with an inch or more of rain.
Trees still have most of their leaves, so they are more susceptible to damage, and wind-driven leaves also clog storm drains.
About 1,700 Puget Sound Energy customers were without electricity south of Bellingham at 10:30 a.m. before it was restored in about a half-hour Wednesday, PSE said on its website.
At noon, 500 PSE customers were without electricity near Toad Lake and between east of Bellingham toward Nugents corner.
Firefighters were sent to investigate several reports of downed trees and power lines, according to the emergency services app Pulse Point.
“A series of vigorous frontal systems will bring wet and windy weather at times the next several days,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Gary Schneider on the Seattle office’s online forecast discussion.
Whatcom County was in the path of the storm’s heaviest rain, according to a radar map that the weather service posted on Twitter.
All flights were on time at Bellingham International Airport, according to its website.
Rough weather conditions forced the Lummi Island passenger ferry out of service temporarily, the Whatcom Transportation Authority tweeted.
No weather-related bus stop closures or detours were reported at noon Wednesday, as Western Washington University’s fall quarter starts.
This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 7:23 AM.
