Brace yourself: Heavy rain, gusty winds making a repeat appearance for Whatcom County
Another wet and windy weekend is ahead for Bellingham and the rest of Whatcom County, with heavy rain, gusty winds, isolated thunderstorms and snow in the mountains.
In an online briefing Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service in Seattle said wind gusts of 20 to 35 mph are possible. About 1 to 1.5 inches of rain is possible through Sunday.
A wind advisory was issued for 11 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday.
“Gusty south winds are expected Friday evening into Saturday morning, especially for the coast, and areas near Admiralty Inlet, San Juan Islands, and western Whatcom County,” the weather service said. “Periods of steadier precipitation are expected over the weekend. At this time, river flooding is not forecasted, but rivers will be monitored.”
A second round of wind and rain is forecast for Sunday.
Daytime highs will be in the high 50s to low 60s this weekend, with lows in the 40s.
According to the latest data from the Northwest River Forecast Center, the Nooksack River is expected to crest will below flood stage Monday near Nugents Corner and Ferndale.
In the mountains, snow is expected above 4,000 feet.
A similar storm hit Whatcom County last weekend, causing scattered power outages, littering streets with leaves, limbs and other debris, and closing several Whatcom County roads.
Some 2.32 inches of rain was recorded Saturday and Sunday at Bellingham International Airport, including a 1.97 inches on Saturday a record for that date.
Rainfall totals weren’t recorded Friday at the airport because of an equipment glitch, a National Weather Service official told The Bellingham Herald. Trained weather observers at the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow network recorded between a half-inch and an inch of rain in the Bellingham area.
A total of 3.94 inches of rain was recorded this month through Thursday. Normal rainfall for the month of October is 3.85 inches.
This story was originally published October 25, 2024 at 11:04 AM.
