URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
420 PM PST THU DEC 18 2008
EAST PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS- WEST SLOPES NORTHERN CASCADES AND PASSES- WEST SLOPES CENTRAL CASCADES AND PASSES- 420 PM PST THU DEC 18 2008
...HIGH WIND WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SEATTLE HAS ISSUED A HIGH WIND WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON.
A MAJOR AND POTENTIALLY DESTRUCTIVE EAST WIND EVENT SHOULD DEVELOP FROM THE CASCADES INTO THE FOOTHILLS AND THE EAST PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THIS EVENT SHOULD THEN CONTIUE THROUGH THE DAY ON SUNDAY.
DURING THIS EVENT...SUSTAINED WINDS COULD REACH 50 TO 70 MPH WITH PEAK GUSTS OF 70 TO 90 MPH. IN THE LOWLANDS...THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO IMPACT COMMUNITIES IN EASTERN KING COUNTY SUCH HAS NORTH BEND...MAPLE VALLEY AND ENUMCLAW. HOWEVER...STRONG WINDS WILL EXTEND ALL THE WAY WEST TO NEAR LAKE WASHINGTON AND THE HIGHWAY 167 CORRIDOR.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
NOW IS THE TIME TO PREPARE FOR THIS POTENTIALLY DESTRUCTIVE WIND EVENT. TAKE THE TIME ON FRIDAY TO PREPARE FOR THE EVENTUALITY OF FALLING TREES...WHICH COULD BLOCK HIGHWAYS...AND PROLONGED POWER OUTAGES. BE SURE TO HAVE A FULL TANK OF GAS IN YOUR CAR AND ENOUGH FOOD ON HAND TO FEED YOUR HOUSEHOLD FOR SEVERAL DAYS. CONSIDER SAFE WAYS TO KEEP YOUR FAMILY WARM IF THE POWER GOES OUT WHILE OUTDOOR TEMPERATURES REMAIN BELOW FREEZING. WIND CHILL VALUES DURING THIS EVENT WILL BE NEAR ZERO IN THE LOWLANDS AND ABOUT 25 BELOW ZERO NEAR THE MAJOR MOUNTAIN PASSES
I spoke with the people at NOAA and they feel this is going to be a significant storm. Start getting prepared now. With all this snow in the trees it is not going to take much wind to knock them down. Then the power goes out. It is going to be very cold with the wind chill factor. It could reach zero degrees with windchill.
