The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning for the West End of Clallam and Jefferson counties for this afternoon and evening.
Here are the National Weather Service bulletins:
NORTH COAST-CENTRAL COAST-
346 PM PDT WED MAY 19 2010
A HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTH AND CENTRAL
WASHINGTON COAST UNTIL MIDNIGHT PDT TONIGHT.
SOUTHEAST WINDS ROSE QUICKLY ALONG THE COAST THIS AFTERNOON…WITH
STATIONS REPORTING SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH AND GUSTS 35 TO
45 MPH AT 3 PM.
WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN FURTHER LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS
EVENING…WITH LOCALLY DAMAGING WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH AND GUSTS
TO 60 MPH EXPECTED THROUGH THE LATE EVENING. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO
SOUTHWEST AND GRADUALLY EASE AFTER MIDNIGHT.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A HIGH WIND WARNING MEANS THAT A HAZARDOUS WIND EVENT IS
IMMINENT. HIGH WINDS CAN TOPPLE TREES…DOWN POWER LINES…AND
DESTROY PROPERTY.
UPDATE: THE COLD FRONT HAS MOVED ONSHORE WITH THE DEEP LOW CENTER OFFSHORE
MOVING NORTH. AS THE LOW MOVES NORTH THE STRONG SOUTH WINDS ARE
EXPECTED TO INCREASE THIS EVENING WITH OCCASIONAL HEAVY SHOWERS
ALONG WITH THE SUN BREAKS. WINDS ALONG THE SHORE HAVE BECOME VERY
STRONG WITH DESTRUCTION ISLAND REACHING 52 MPH WITH A GUST TO 62
MPH AT 4 PM. THEREFORE THE POTENTIAL NOW EXISTS FOR WIND GUSTS TO
65 MPH TO BEGIN IMPACTING INLAND AREAS ALONG THE COAST.
For areas along the Strait of Juan de Fuca along the North/West Coast and near Admiralty Inlet in East Jefferson County, a wind advisory has been issued:
SAN JUAN COUNTY-WESTERN WHATCOM COUNTY-EAST PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS-
WESTERN SKAGIT COUNTY-EVERETT AND VICINITY-SEATTLE/BREMERTON AREA-
TACOMA AREA-ADMIRALTY INLET AREA-WESTERN STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-
346 PM PDT WED MAY 19 2010
A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE GREATER SEATTLE
METROPOLITAN AREA AND NORTHWEST INTERIOR UNTIL MIDNIGHT PDT
TONIGHT.
WINDS ROSE QUICKLY ACROSS THE REGION EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON AS AN
INITIAL SURGE OF SOUTHERLIES MOVED NORTHWARD. WINDS OF 20 TO 35 MPH
AND GUSTS OF 40 TO 55 MPH SHOULD BE EXPECTED THROUGH LATE THIS
EVENING…THOUGH SOME AREAS WILL HAVE A RELATIVE LULL IN WINDS
DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THE STRONGEST WINDS
IN THE WIND ADVISORY AREA WILL PROBABLY OCCUR AROUND WHIDBEY
ISLAND LATER THIS EVENING. WINDS WILL GRADUALLY EASE AFTER
MIDNIGHT.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WIND ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 TO 35 MPH OR
GUSTS OF 45 TO 55 MPH ARE LIKELY. WINDS THIS STRONG CAN SNAP
SMALL TREE BRANCHES…TOPPLE SMALL OR SHALLOW-ROOTED TREES…AND
CAUSE LOCAL POWER OUTAGES.
————-
A HIGH SURF ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM PDT THURSDAY.
EXPECT 20 TO 25 FOOT WAVES OVER THE OFFSHORE WATERS TO REACH THE
WASHINGTON COAST THIS EVENING. THE HIGH SURF WILL CONTINUE THROUGH
EARLY THURSDAY MORNING BEFORE SLOWLY SUBSIDING.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A HIGH SURF ADVISORY MEANS THAT HIGH SURF WILL AFFECT BEACHES IN
THE ADVISORY AREA…PRODUCING RIP CURRENTS AND LOCALIZED BEACH
EROSION.
IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO FISH OR OBSERVE WAVES FROM ROCKS OR
BEACHES DURING HIGH SURF CONDITIONS. UNWARY BEACH WALKERS CAN BE
CAUGHT OFF GUARD AS WAVES SUDDENLY RACE FARTHER UP THE BEACH THAN
NORMAL. HIGH SURF CAN TOSS LOGS AROUND.
A small-craft advisory has been issued for the Strait of Juan de Fuca waters off Port Angeles and Sequim. Heaviest concentrations of wind on land are mapped from Neah Bay south to Grays Harbor County and beyond, with lesser concentrations along the Strait’s coast west of Crescent Bay and around Admiralty Inlet. We will update these advisories as warranted, so please check back.
For a regional weather overview, click on the website of our Seattle news partner, KOMO-TV, for a discussion by weather scientist (and Port Angeles native) Scott Sistek: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/94287389.html
