November 15, 2009

Major Windstorm Possible on Tuesday


Well, the next few days is going to bring a range of extreme weather here...and now the U.S. models are locking on a major windstorm on Tuesday. But there are hold outs...the UKMET office model...which just as skillful on average.. and the European Center Model...which is better that the top US model (a terrible embarrassment for us that should not be!)

Anyway, below is the 48-h sea level pressure and wind speed forecasts--a major event if this becomes true. I suspect we will know tonight whether the US or American models are right. Right now we will have to live with some uncertainty.


And don't forget the rain. We will see huge amounts in the Olympics and northern Cascades, some Olympic slopes getting more than 10 inches. Olympic rivers will flood and there is a strong possibility of flood downstream of the N. Cascades (e.g., Nooksack). And even the lowlands could get deluged with several inches.

24 comments:

  1. It will be a very interesting couple of days. With what the current US models are showing, how strong of a storm would this be? I was looking at the Hanukkah eve storm "stats" and it was a 970mb low, if this storm takes a similar path what kind of difference would there be between 970 and 975mb (as current models indicate)?

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  2. I wish the news forecasters would stop leaving details out. They seem to always downplay everything to make sure they don't hurt their reputation. But then they also get blamed for not giving details.

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  3. I was noticing this too on some of the UW forecast models showing a low dropping down out of canada again.

    Chances are it'll be a miss, based on murphey's law. :) But yet again I have high hopes for a big wind storm. It IS November after all.

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  4. Let it be storm season...

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  6. Interesting setup. Also sorta reminiscent of the Dec. 2007 storm in terms of the one-two punch for coastal winds. Looks like a system will come in late tonight to kick things off, and then the 970ish mb low will kick off Tuesday.

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  7. I dunno whats up with the forecast. If that main narrow rain band sets up a little further south!?!?! I'm no hydrological expert, but 3-5 inches of rain on top of 3-5 inches of snow water equivalent, rivers will be higher than whats forecasted.

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  8. OT

    Cliff a good article on US Math Education.

    http://www.city-journal.org/2009/eon1113ss.html

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  9. hmm the 18 UTC GFS and NAM are weaker though

    charliesweatherforecasts.blogspot.com

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  10. But even at 988mb should give up some decent winds.

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  11. High Wind Watchs and Wind Advisories starting to popup and become effective this evening. Certainly ready for some weather action.

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  12. Yep, I'm getting excited. We have a high wind watch and advisory for our area now. This might turn out to be a good wind storm...and 2 days of it at that!

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  13. Its been 20mph winds most of today in Bellingham, gusting up to 36-41. Starting to sound more active out there now. Expecting up to 60mph tonight, perhaps 70mph on Tuesday. We're in for a real stormy week! I'm dubbing my evening rum refreshment a "Pineapple Express"! (Pineapple, Orange, Banana over ice with a shot of rum.)

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  14. I, for one, am hoping for a less than Dec. 2007 storm. 14 days without power, many, many trees down to clean up...no thanks. Blew the cups clean off the anemometer. Once a large madrona crashes through your roof you too will be huddled in your basement wishing it would just stop.

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  15. The weather is so much more interesting this time of year.

    I do hope its not as damaging as the Dec 2007 storm was.

    We shall see what follows.

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  16. Windstorm Tuesday? How about windstorm at 3am monday morn. So violent in so king county I can't sleep! Lots of big trees making noise!

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  17. Good wave action on Lake Washington.
    It seems like someone lowered the lake a few feet in the last week.

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  18. Some Fireworks over Bellingham this morning. Power still on in the Columbia area. Sporadic lines down throughout the county. Just a trace of rain in the last 24. Big rain shadow. 56 mph gust (structure influence) early this morning. Question? I wonder if the Pacific waters rise a little as the parent low moves over a particular area? Opps there goes another transformer to the west...

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  19. Peak gust overnight here in East Bellevue was 40.2 mph. I really don't relish a reprise of Dec 2006; I'm sure Tuesday night will be enough excitement for me!

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  20. If I hadn't watched the news I wouldn't have known there is wind anywhere. At my home near Monroe there was no wind, and here at my office on the Everett waterfront there is no wind. Rain, sure, but no wind that I can see!

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  21. Severe Wind

    West of Olympia at Oyster Bay.

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  22. "[the news forecasters] seem to always downplay everything to make sure they don't hurt their reputation."

    Really? You think the problem with local TV newscasts is that they *downplay* weather events?

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  24. Dr. Mass, with all due respect -- and it is quite deserved -- the coastal sections get generally screwed or forgotten with many weather events. The coastal warning-speed winds started today at 5:30 p.m. with warning wind speeds as far inland as Wishkah.

    Please don't take this comment in terms of questioning your expertise, but the coast has been hammered this evening. I get the sense the Seattle WFO tries to play everything down.

    I will never forget when the Portland WFO issued the Hurricane Wind Warning in Dec. of 2007 for Oregon coastal sections and the Seattle WFO sat on their asses.

    Not that this event gets even near Dec. 2007, but I get the sense Seattle WFO is too damn gun shy on most everything.

    I was most honored to have the chance to ask you in person a question about warnings prior/during the 2007 coastal gale and you came across quite defensive of the NWS. As an educated observer, I thought it was a COMPLETE failure of Seattle WFO in terms of what would hit coastal sections. Even after the event began.

    I guess I'm venting.

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