Landslide threat amid heavy wind, rain in Western Washington

Heavy wind struck communities north of Seattle Tuesday morning, bringing rain along with it. But for the Emerald City, it was just “breezy.”

“The wind is picking up, especially north and west of Everett, to the coast,” said KIRO 7’s Nick Allard Tuesday morning. “Otherwise, most of us will just be on the breezy side. So when you head out to the bus stop, plan for rain, plan to have south to southwest winds around 15-25 mph, and plan for temperatures in the upper 40s.”

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The National Weather Service has also posted a landslide warning for Western Washington. Steven Reedy with the National Weather Service in Seattle says that people should watch out for trees that could fall over in loose soil.

“With all the rain we’ve had over the past week, the ground is still pretty saturated so there still remains a landslide threat for the area,” he said. “With the breezy to locally windy conditions, that soil is pretty loose, so that might make things a little easier for trees to topple over.”

High winds and rain

Higher winds have struck Port Townsend and Whidbey Island with wind speeds above 40 mph. Rain is more of a concern for other Washington communities. Allard said that heavy rain followed I-5 between Chehalis and Everett all Tuesday morning.

“Rain is going to increase some more,” he said. “… We’ll see more rain throughout the morning hours.”

The weather service has issued a High Wind Warning for the coast and communities north of Seattle. Gusts up to 55 mph are expected from Everett to the Canadian border throughout Tuesday. Power outages and falling trees and limbs are likely.

“We have a pretty strong weather system moving out of the Gulf of Alaska heading our way,” said Ted Buehner with the National Weather Service in Seattle. “It’s going to generate some rain and some windy conditions, particularly along the coast and in the north interior – from roughly Everett through the San Juans to the Canadian border.”

From Seattle south through Chehalis, conditions will be “blustery and wet” Buehner said, but not as windy as other parts of Western Washington. Wind speeds could reach up to 25 mph, with gusts up to 35 mph.

Big waves on the Washington coast

The weather service is expecting high waves, too.

“Out along the coast, this storm out of Alaska is generating some high seas,” Buehner said. “We are anticipating that we may see some heavy surf in the 18-22 foot range by Tuesday night. If you are out on the coast, it’s nice to watch the waves, but please do it from higher ground.”

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Mountain snow

Rivers that flooded from heavy rain over the weekend continue to recede. KIRO 7 Meteorologist Nick Allard  notes that snow levels should help with that.

“Whatever does fall, means very good snow for the Cascades and it shouldn’t add to the flooding issues we saw over the past few days,” Allard said.

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect Monday at 10 p.m. until Tuesday in the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges. Up to two feet of snow could fall in some areas, but expect accumulations of six to 11 inches. The National Weather Service says if you’re driving across a mountain pass, be prepared for snow covered roads and limited visibility. You can call 511 for the latest conditions.

Check the pass webcams

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