Fierce storm aims for Whatcom County. Outages and flooding are possible
An atmospheric river chugging in from the Pacific will bring strong winds and heavy rain to Western Washington, raising the threat of power outages and flooding along the Nooksack River, according to the latest information from the National Weather Service in Seattle.
Meteorologists issued a “hydrologic outlook” for river flooding in much of the Puget Sound region, including Whatcom County, on Wednesday, Nov. 2.
But data from the Northwest River Forecast Center shows the Nooksack River cresting below flood stage in Acme, near Nugents Corner and in Ferndale on Friday, Nov. 4, and Saturday, Nov. 5.
Bellingham could get 2 to 3 inches of rain through Saturday morning, the National Weather Service said in a statement.
South to southeast winds gusting up to 50 mph were expected near Bellingham and a few power outages were possible, and the weather service issued a wind advisory.
“This system is carrying a healthy amount of moisture and will bring heavier rainfall in our region,” meteorologist Kayla Mazurkiewicz said in the online forecast discussion.
“In addition to heavier rainfall, breezy winds are likely throughout the region. Strongest winds are expected throughout Friday evening into Friday night (Nov. 4), with widespread gusts 35 to 45 mph,” Mazurkiewicz said.
This story was originally published November 3, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
