Forecast for powerful weekend windstorm fades, but power outages still a concern
Nov 10, 2020, 11:47 AM | Updated: Nov 12, 2020, 10:20 am
After initial worries that a powerful weekend windstorm was on its way to the Puget Sound region, that forecast is now fading.
Early in the week, the University of Washington model was tracking a low pressure system off of southern Vancouver Island on Saturday that would have then pushed into Whatcom and Skagit counties. That movement would have meant wind gusts up to 60 mph in Seattle and areas south of the city.
Now, though, “the forecast has trended weaker in that regard” according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.
“It’ll be breezy, especially along the coast, north of Everett and south of Olympia inland, but more in line with a typical late fall system,” the NWS said Thursday morning.
University of Washington Atmospheric Science professor Cliff Mass wrote on his blog on Wednesday that the National Weather Service’s GFS model is “provocative.”
“It forecasts a 966 hPa low pressure center to be off the northern tip of Vancouver Island, with an INTENSE pressure gradient,” he wrote early in the week.
Mass explained the pressure gradient would result in big waves and strong winds, the likes of which are typically observed in the Gulf of Alaska.
Mass went on to say that if the models pan out, we will likely see widespread power outages this weekend. The NWS’s latest forecast echoes those concerns despite the weaker winds, noting that it might still “be enough to cause localized power outages and some tree damage.”
Meanwhile, mountain snow is pushing into the Cascades, with “a lot headed our way over the next 24-48 hours,” the NWS predicts.
“The main story will be heavy mountain snow with difficult travel over the Cascades through Saturday morning,” it said Thursday.
Check the mountain pass webcams
As the system moves east, Stevens Pass will get about two to four inches of new snow. Drivers should prepare for wintry driving conditions if they plan to travel over Washington passes.
