A special statement was issued this morning, August 28th, by the National Weather Service:
… A strong Pacific storm could bring strong winds and locally
heavy rain to western Washington on Saturday…A much stronger system will impact the region on Saturday. This system has the potential to bring winds of 20 to 35 mph with gusts of 45 to 50 mph to parts of the coast… northwest interior… and I-5 corridor. Winds this strong usually occur in fall and winter. Thus… this wind event could create more problems due to the deciduous trees still having their leaves. This will make the branches more prone to snapping in strong winds. In addition to the possibility of downed tree limbs… the gusty winds could cause local power outages.
Rain will be locally heavy at times on Saturday. Rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches are forecast for the coast and in the mountains… with a half to one inch elsewhere… during the 24 hour period ending at 5 am PDT Sunday. This amount of rain will likely end or help reduce the size of any ongoing wildfires.
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In addition to the wind and rain… temperatures will be below normal on Saturday. Highs are forecast to be mainly in the mid to upper 60s across The Lowlands.
Those planning outdoor activities in the mountains in particular this weekend should pay close attention to the latest forecasts from the National Weather Service.
This morning’s forecast models predict gusty winds between 11am and 2pm on Saturday in western Whatcom County. Boaters should be aware high winds are expected most of the day on the water with gale warnings likely.