UPDATED 4:30pm – Tonight’s windstorm – what to expect and when

Click here to view tonight’s windstorm updates.

Original Story
The National Weather Service (NWS) has provided several day’s advance notice for what has been reported to have the potential to be a historically devastating windstorm. Here is what is known 12 hours before the damaging winds are forecast to arrive.

The good news is

• this is a fast moving storm so the highest winds are not expected to linger
• forecast models show the low pressure center making landfall south of central Vancouver Island which spares inland areas south of Everett from the highest damaging winds

The bad news is

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• Ferndale and surrounding areas are expected to be hit by extremely powerful and damaging winds

A High Wind Warning remains in effect for the northwest interior from 3pm this afternoon until 2am Sunday. The NWS forecast (as of 4am) is for winds from the southeast or south at 25 to 40mph with gusts near 65 mph.

UPDATE 4:30pm
NWS issued an updated forecast

Southeast to south 25 to 45 mph with gusts near 70 mph late this afternoon and this evening. Winds will ease to 20 to 35 mph after midnight.

The strongest winds are expected to occur through 11  PM.

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One other forecast model shows wind gusts exceeding 40mph beginning after 5pm with peak gusts over 70mph occurring between 10pm and 1am in the Ferndale area. Wind gusts over 40mph are expected to continue until after 4am according to the model. Neighbors close to the water can add 10mph to these estimates.

The storm’s low pressure center making landfall further north than the worst-case scenario would make this less of a widespread event but still as powerful. The coastal region along the Olympic Peninsula and inland areas north of Everett are expected to receive the brunt of the storm’s high winds. Post-storm recovery crews would not be stretched as thin as they would be if the storm impacted a larger area as was forecast as a worst-case scenario earlier this week.

The projected storm track can be expected to change and forecasts will be updated on Discover Ferndale through the day.

Prepare your property, family and neighbors for the likelihood of damaging winds and power outages.