Strong Low off the WA Coast Late on 1/17 & am 1/18
High Wind WARNING -Brownish Orange Shaded Area 30-40 G 60-65mph
A strong Pacific low pressure system is developing and will intensify late Sunday the 17th into early on Monday the 18th of January.
Pacific Co., which includes Raymond and Long Beach WA down to Astoria, OR, has a High Wind Warning from 7 pm Sunday the 17th to 8 am Monday. A High Wind Watch has been upgraded to a WARNING and is in effect form Sunday evening the 17th through Monday morning the 18th. This is for the central & north Washington Coast, the Western Strait of Juan de Fuca & the Olympic Mountains and from Whidbey Island into the San Juans and the Bellingham to Mt. Vernon Areas. Strong SE winds are expected to develop and possibly reach as high as 30 to 40 miles per hour SUSTAINED with Gusts to 60 to possibly 65 mph especially exposed ridges and open beaches/headlands. The wind should shift to the south and SW early Monday and ease by noon. A wind advisory has been issued for most of the rest of Western WA including Seattle until the morning of the 18th, Monday.
The jet stream is a fast moving river of air in the upper levels of the atmosphere and it has shifted further south than normal. It usually brings in warmer air into northern Europe from the west, but it’s is over Spain and the prevailing winds have been coming in from the east and north-i.e. the Arctic, Scandinavia and Russia. This has made for all of the snow in the UK and most of northern Europe for several weeks. Here’s my favorite videos.
2.27″ of rain fell @ the Quillayute Airport 01/15/10. This breaks the old record of 1.73″ in 1976.
Quillayute/Forks Area of WA
Elwha in Clallam Co. 3″ of rain was the 24hour total.
10 am on the 15th 4 miles NE of Vail, WA a trained spotter reported a wind gust to 61 mph. (Thurston Co. WA at Lake Lawerence sustained East wind of 40-45 mph with a gust of 61mph)
FLOODING Ended on the Bogachiel, a WARNING for minor flooding had been posted. Heavy rain on the morning of Jan. 15th, 2010 with a total of 4 to 5 inches is driving the Bogachiel river above flood stage near La Push, WA in Clallam County. At 9am on the 15th the stage was 35.9 feet and flood stage is 37.0 ft, the river will rise above flood stage around 1 pm Friday the 15th and crest or top off near 37.4 ft around 4 pm Friday. The river crested at 37.4 ft at 1 PM and will continue to fall on Saturday. State Highway 110 near the Bogachiel Bridge is flooded and had to be closed.
FLOODING has ended on the Skokomish River near Potlatch in Mason County until the evening of the 16th. At 6 am on Friday the 15th the stage was 16.6 ft and flood stage is 16.5 ft. Minor flooding is occurring and the river will continue to rise and will crest( top off )near 16.9 ft around 4 pm today, Friday. The Skokomish river will cause widespread flooding of pasture lands with water flowing quickly over East Bourgault Road and Skokomish Valley Road.
Do not drive any vehicle through flooded area. As the National Weather Service says, “turn around don’t drown” !
A FLOOD WATCH ended -Saturday the 16th of Jan. for Greys Harbor Co. The flood watch for the rest of Western WA has ended early. The heaviest rain has occured on the Coast and the South or SW facing slopes of the Olympic Range and N. Cascade mountains. Storm totals of 6 to 8 inches.
Record high of 56 was tied at the airport. The same temperature occurred in 1986 & 1919.
Record High of 54 degrees was set at the National Weather Service office. The old record was 53 in 2004.
The Average High is 45 and the Average Low is 36. We had limited sun breaks today and .20″ Rain at the airport. Our record low was 11 degrees in 1950. Burrrrr !!
Also, a friend of mine, Patricia Firestone mentioned an easy way to help Haiti. Simply text HAITI 90999 to donate $10.00 to the American Red Cross. The donation will appear on your next cell bill. Keep in mind, that’s only 2 morning cappuccinos:) Thank you!
Port-au-Prince Palace in Haiti(Video Before the quake)
The Palace Now
These are the buildings in Haiti before the 7.0 quake. Many fell !
Buildings Destroyed by the 7.0 quake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti/Largest quake in Haiti
Miami, 36 is the New Record low on Jan. 11th, 2010 and 48 for the High on Jan. 1oth. The old records(37 1927 & 53 in 1970).
Records for the longest number of consecutive days with lows at or below45 degrees was set at Miami and Fort Lauderdale. (10 days), and they are approaching the all-time recorded streak of lows below 50 degrees. (13 for Miami and 12 for Ft. Lauderdale).
Snow/Sleet & Freezing Rain Reports in Florida on 01/09/10
Hurricane Ridge… The wind won’t blow you away, but the views just might! That’s what the ski & snowboard website states. Well, 1/11/10 the wind could have blow you away. Hurricane Ridge late 01/11/10 they recorded a South wind sustained at 41 mph and gusts to 82 miles per hour in the Olympic Mountains. The peak gust was 115 miles per hour. We know how it got the name
Portland Reporter Gets Blown Over in Strong Wind Gusts-Columbia Gorge
Air always flows from High Pressure to Low Pressure and if you get a strong pressure difference, you get extreme wind gusts. The air in E. WA is cold and dense, while the air in W. WA is milder. The wind over the last few days has hit the Cascade Crest and the gaps in the Cascades including the Columbia River Gorge with some gusts as high as 100 miles per hour. The Fraser River gap in Western Whatcom county and places like Gold Bar, North Bend, Issaquah & Enumclaw have also seen some gusts over 50 miles per hour as the cold dense air in E. WA is forced through the Cascade Passes and it shoots out the other side into the Western WA foothills. The air in E. WA is starting to warm up on 01/09/10 and the extreme wind gusts in the Gorge are dying down. El Nino is beginning to kick in and I bet we continue with the milder air in the entire NW.
Blue Shades=Colder Air Green/Yellow-Milder 01/09 1PM
