Veterans Day Storms - Look Out!

It will be a sloppy few days this week, as two Pacific storms roll over Western Washington. Below you will find a summary of the information gleaned from this afternoon’s briefing from the National Weather Service.
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Two wet and sloppy storms will be moving over Western Washington over the next several days. The first system will arrive on Tuesday morning. Here are the rain forecasts:

- Between 1 and 4 inches of rain in the Olympic Mountains
- Between .5 and 1.5 inches in the South Puget Sound lowlands
- A .25 and a .5 inch of rain in the Central Puget Sound region
- Winds are expected to be between 10 and 17 miles per hour.

The second storm, which is forecast to arrive Tuesday evening, will be stronger, and wetter than the first. The Weather Service forecast:

- Between 4 and 8 inches of rain in the Olympic Mountains
- Between 2 and 5 inches in the South Puget Sound lowlands
- 1 to 2 inches of rain in the Central Puget Sound region
- Coastal winds will be 30 MPH sustained, with gusts up to 45 MPH
- In Central Puget Sound, winds are forecast at 30 MPH sustained, with gusts up to 45 MPH
- In the Southwest Interior, the winds are forecast between 15 and 25 MPH, with gusts to 35

The heavy rain over this two day period will increase the threat of floods and landslides, especially along Highway 101 north of Shelton on the west side Hood Canal.

Although the National Weather Service is not predicting widespread power outages from this series of storms, the combination of saturated soils and occasionally gusty winds may result in trees that are knocked over or some limbs blown from trees. This creates the possibility of a few scattered outages, so customers are advised to have storm supplies on hand.

A flood watch has also been issued for Mason County from Tuesday afternoon through late Wednesday night. Rivers specifically under observation are the Skokomish and Satsop.

A flood watch means there is a potential for flooding based on the current forecasts. Residents in the watch area should be aware of the potential for significant rainfall that could lead to flooding and be prepared to take action should flooding develop.

Forecasters warn that with the amount of rainfall expected over the next several days there may also be some urban flooding.