Saturday Night Storm Update

 FastCast—Sunday, Oct. 24 to Monday, Oct. 25:

An active & stormy pattern is in store for the Pacific Northwest, as a hurricane-force low pressure system swirls offshore before rapidly weakening and moving ashore over northern Vancouver Island. Winds begin on Sunday, with strong winds out of the Cascade gaps gusting 40-50 mph. Winds pick up late Sunday through Monday area-wide. Expect gusts of 30-40 mph in the Interior, 45-60 mph north of Everett, (potentially up to 70 mph near Admiralty Inlet), and 50-65 mph on the Coast. Expect rain as well on Sunday and Monday, totaling 0.3-0.5” in the Interior, potentially less in some places due to the drying gap winds. Additionally, there is a chance of severe thunderstorms/a weak tornado on the Coast as well as tidal overflow and 25-35 foot waves. 

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Continue reading the full blog below!

A massive, hurricane-force low pressure system is rapidly intensifying offshore, forecast to become an incredibly deep low pressure system. This storm will deepen to 940-948 millibars, over 5 millibars deeper than the previous record. The UW model forecast for 8 AM Sunday shows the low off the coast.

There is a massive pressure gradient all around the storm (closely clustered lines), and winds will gust 90-110 mph along with waves of 35+ feet over the open ocean. 

Winds begin on Sunday in Western Washington. Due to the very low pressure offshore, winds will accelerate through gaps in the Cascades. Easterly winds gusting 40-50 mph, locally stronger, are expected from early Sunday morning through the afternoon. There is a Wind Advisory in effect for the foothills as well. See the Windy app forecast for North Bend below.

Winds will increase on the Coast and north of Everett on Sunday as well. High Wind Warnings have been issued for these areas, and southerly gusts of 50-65 mph are expected. 

In the interior, expect gusts of 30-40 mph at times from Sunday to late Monday. 

There is a chance of tree damage and power outages, especially in areas with gusts over 40 mph.

Below is an informative graphic showing expected peak wind gusts from NWS Seattle.

Now for the rain…expect rain at times on Sunday (less in areas where it is scoured out by gap winds). Below is the UW forecast for rain through 5 AM Tuesday.

Expect 0.5-1.25 inches of rain in the interior and 1.75-7.5 inches in the mountains and on the coast.

There is also a chance of severe thunderstorms and a slight chance of weak tornadoes on the coast from approximately Long Beach southward. Take caution if you’re on the SW Washington and Oregon coasts on Sunday.

Quite an active weather pattern is ahead! Stay safe and stay tuned to reliable forecasts!

Also…for those of you with barometers, due to the strength of the storm offshore, pressure will be quite low in Western Washington. Expect readings in the neighborhood of 28.95-29.10” (980-987 mb).