Fierce winds knock out power as record-breaking cold grips Whatcom County
Winds gusting over 50 mph continued to pound northwest Whatcom County on Friday, knocking out power as an arctic chill swept Washington and brought a second straight day of record-breaking cold.
A low of 3 degrees at 7 a.m. Friday broke the record of 4 from 1950, according to readings from Bellingham International Airport. A low of 9 degrees Thursday broke the previous mark of 10 from 1963.
On Saturday morning, a low of 7 degrees broke another record from 1950.
That’s nearly 30 degrees colder than normal overnight temperatures for mid-January in Bellingham.
Unseasonably cold temperatures likely will remain through Tuesday or Wednesday, when highs are expected return to the mid-40s, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle.
Bellingham, Ferndale and other locations opened severe weather shelters and daytime warming sites as the cold and wind drove “feels like” temperatures into negative numbers.
Schools were open Friday, with Bellingham possibly keeping students indoors for recess, according to the district’s website.
Mount Baker School District was operating on a two-hour delay.
About 2,000 Puget Sound Energy customers were without power at 8 a.m. Friday, down from about 5,000 customers late Thursday, mostly north of Bellingham in the flatlands exposed to the biting northeast wind, called a Fraser Outflow.
A downed utility pole and electrical wires were blocking the Mount Baker Highway near Eastwood Road between Welcome and Kendall, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Elsewhere in Bellingham and Whatcom County, roads were reported clear and open with no overnight snow.
Mt. Baker Ski Area was open Friday with a temperature of -11 at Heather Meadows and no new snow in the past 24 hours. Mount Baker Highway was clear with compact snow and ice in places at the 4,250-foot level, WSDOT said online.
Avalanche danger was moderate in the Mount Baker backcountry, according to the Northwest Avalanche Center.
Weekend forecast
Friday’s forecast high was 19 degrees with northeast winds at 20-30 mph, gusting to 45 mph.
Fraser winds were expected to ease through the weekend, with a forecast high of 28 on Saturday and 31 on Sunday.
Overnight lows could be in the teens or single digits.
Clear skies were expected through Tuesday, where there was a chance of brief snow as a storm rolls in from the southwest, bringing warmer temperatures.
This story was originally published January 12, 2024 at 8:22 AM.
