12/14/06 DISC: WA / OR

[Billy Griffin]

Thought I'd start the thread now, as I plan on posting some pics and uploading some video clips to my website. Until official reports or chase accounts come in, I titled this as a "discussion" rather than chase reports. Moderators, please correct if done inappropriately.

Talking to the wife today, round #1 came through with just a few sporadic power outages and wind damage. Snowfall rates in the Cascades continue to be insane - at the rate of over 5" per hour!

Winds are now beginning to pick up in the interior lowlands and on the WA coast. Highest winds should hit later this evening through overnight. Forecast and civil defense messages are urging people to prepare for wind gusts in excess of 100 mph later tonight. Incredible! I cannot imagine the winds on Rainier, Baker, Adams, St. Helens and Hood. 150+ ???

Widespread wind damage, strong thunderstorms, hail, lightning and excessive amounts of mountain snow are forecast with this system. Many flights have already been cancelled due to the anticipation of this event and close calls in a few landings at SEA-TAC airport yesterday. There was some incredible footage on KING 5 of a plane that was just above the runway and had to do a "go around" when caught in wind shear! One of the local TV stations even mentions that low-topped supercells and/or brief tornadoes associated with the heavier squalls coming onshore are possible!

I thought I'd move this to more of a discussion for now and out of the forecast topic, per ST forum rules.

I hope to have photos to post shortly.

 

[Billy Griffin]

Rocky,

I copied and paste your entry here, as to provide some excellent resources for this ongoing event / discussion. Hope you don't mind.

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I'm glad somebody has posted something concerning this major event for the PAC NW. I came within the skin of my teeth of booking a flight on Southwest Airlines to Seattle to experience what I think will be the biggest wind event in the last few years for the Puget Sound area and the coastal communities of the Olympic Peninsula. (600 dollar fare roundtrip from OKC to SEA! with 24 hour notice!!) But with Christmas coming on, financial obligations with the family has precluded me from being there... so I'll enjoy a virtual chase of which I'll share some links below so you can do the same.

As what Billy eluded to in his initial post, as the system moves ashore tonight near Cape Flattery by 06Z according to the latest GFS, some convection will break out along the I-5 corridor between 21Z to 09Z, some cells may harbour small hail and lightning... but the big show gets underway once the projected 972mb. low moves up into BC with an occluded trough that follows the storm centre to its southwest... gradient winds will be amazing, there should be a 3 to 5 hour period where winds will easily gust to 75mph around the communities of Port Angeles, Sequim and Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island. Also, Hwy 530 in northern Snohomish Co. between Oso and Darrington will experience a wind tunnel effect... gusts through there should be amazing. During today... the coastal towns like Westport and La Push will experience increasing south winds and tremendous 20 to 30 ft swells.. following the frontal passage, winds up to 75mph and better can be expected along with significant coastal flooding. One big concern I have is with the recent heavy rains, soils are saturated and this will result in scores of trees being uprooted.
Below is a list of links you can click on to follow the storm as it progresses. The following are the TV stations that will have lots of video's you can watch.

http://www.king5.com/
http://www.kirotv.com/index.html
http://www.komotv.com/

Below are two radio stations that have good weather coverage:
http://www.570kvi.com/
http://www.komoradio.com/

How about some webcam links? The following are good quality cams for you to check out:

http://www.funbeach.com/cams/index.html this is from the Long Beach area.

http://www.drdale.com/cam/ One of my favourite webcams from the Silverdale area on the Kitsap Peninsula west of Seattle. The Hood Canal and the Olympic Range is in the background.

http://www.wireless.nikola.com/sequimcam3.htm Agreat quality cam from Sequim on the northern side of the Olympic Peninsula

http://www.portangelesinn.com/webcam.html Port Angeles cam

http://www.aquatantravel.com/Webcam.htm I'm not sure exactly where this is from, I think it is somewhere up in the Puget Sound area north of Seattle.

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/default.aspx?cam=1242 Many different traffic cams across the Seattle area and all of Washington state.

http://www.islandcam.com/ Multiple cams across the islands north of Seattle.

http://www.stevenspass.com/webcam/ And for the snow freaks like myself!

Thanks to modern technology, we can enjoy what will be one amazing weather event for this area... I've always been captivated by the weather in the PAC NW.. one of the areas I'm considering in spending my later days once the kids are grown (lack of svr wx and .. earthquakes are the only negatives). I would love some feedback on this event, especially from anyone else on this forum that lives out in the area.
God Bless! Rocky&family
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Rocky and family

 

[Adam Atkins]

You guys should check out a SLE sounding from Salem, OR and a current base velocity from Portland. Inbound is maxed out just above the surface.