What a storm in the PNW!

[johnr]

I don't think I've ever seen Bellingham Bay like I saw it today (I was on shore!). For a while this afternoon there were sustained winds over 40 kts with gust to I can't even guess. I actually saw a couple of small craft trying to make way in that gale. I feared for their safety. Madness to be out there. Yesterday, in anticipation of the coming storm, we cancelled a long anticipated trip to Stuart to fish for pinks...a rare good move on my part. As someone else said here, the worst thing to have on the water is a schedule. Hope everyone is safe and boats are sound.

[JamesTXSD]

Yeah, it was ugly. For the first time that I recall in 4 years of driving the whale watch boats in Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor, we canceled trips today. It was the smart move. Haro Strait was a froth of whitecaps.

[hardee]

Hey John, Glad you had good sense yesterday. (BTW, I don't think that is an unusual state for you glad to know you were watching that from onshore....

I stopped by John Wayne today just after noon. A rare SE wind blowing across the bay, 3 foot white caps going through the field of anchored sail boats in the bay south of the marina. Wild ride out there for them.

There was a fleet of Thistle and Flying Scots here for a weekend regatta, with about 15 boats parked in the parking lot and the race committee all watching the waves and scratching their heads. Interestingly, the wind was against the incoming tide and the channel was where the stand up waves were the biggest. Outside of the channel, where the marching tide was eddiing around, there were hardly any wave action. The wave against tide was incredibly obvious.

On the way home, the radio was talking of Power outages from the Hood Canal bridge to Port Townsend and winds from 30-40 with gusts to 50.

Good day to be solidly anchored in good protection, in a marina, or on the trailer.

Harvey
SleepyC

[rogerbum]

There was wind of 35kts sustained with gusts to 70 predicted for the beaches near Ilwaco this weekend. I decided to stay home. We have been without power for about 10 hours so far and probably will take another 10 or more before it is restored. I fired up the Honda generators to keep the fridge and freezers cold and opened up a bottle of wine.

[Dreamer]

I like your survival skills Rog! Had sprinkles this afternoon in Sequim, 2-3 knot wind gusting to 5 on our hill. The channel 5 weather reporting site West of town had 45 mph wind however.

[Da Nag]

I've never seen the Strait of Juan de Fuca like it was today, but not what you might think...

Winds were severe - our trees were swaying and creaking, power outages routine, roads were blocked by falling trees. However...the Strait in front of us was almost flat. Usually, with winds half as bad as we were seeing today it puts on quite a show.

My empty garbage can blew uphill minutes before I took this photo.

[rogerbum]

[Da Nag]

[Sea Wolf]

Bill- Which way were the currents running, how strong, and in what relation to the wind?

Joe.

[Larry Patrick]

World news just showed a bridge and lake Washington State ,conditions were scary looking.

[JamesTXSD]

A new day, different conditions. Still lumpy in parts of Haro Strait, but it began to lay down as the wind and current started running together. My last whale watch trip for the season took us well into Juan de Fuca... and it was absolutely beautiful. Not flat calm, but not stirred up.

Long trip, but a nice way to wrap up our season here (good whale viewing, nice water and weather).

It took a long time to clean up the boat this morning - every horizontal surface was covered with pine needles that the wind carried in and dumped. Plenty of branches in the road on my commute to Roche... and windrows of pine needles on the road.

We had July-type weather in May through most of August. The weather weasels were calling this storm a "late fall, early winter type of system." Yeah, it's about time to head south.

Jim B.

[hardee]

Drove down 101 to Olympia today. Lots of places where there were trees down, some had been across the road. Tons of branches along the sides. Hood Canal at Hoodsport was frothy and 75% whitecaps.

Jim my friend, you are leaving too early. We still have the fall colors to show yet.

Harvey
Sleepy C

[Grumpy]

Interesting statistics here, glad I was not "out and about in a boat".
http://cliffmass.blogspot.com


M

[AstoriaDave]

[ddenver]

We are still without public utility electrical power today and the word is it might not be restored until sometime tomorrow (i.e. Tuesday) here on the Coyle Peninsula - as it is known to the locals (it appears as the Toandos Peninsula on maps however) - which sits between the Olympic Peninsula and Dabob Bay to the west and the Kitsap Peninsula, Hood Canal, and Bangor Sub base to our east.

During the storm the surface of Dabob Bay appeared to be pure white from the myriad whitecaps present. Sure would not have wanted to be caught out on the Hood Canal in a boat during that period.

Lost lots of trees and wound up spending most of the day Saturday and Sunday picking up downed branches and leaves. Immediate neighbor had a large maple section break off and a fir tree go down also. Luckily, both missed the house although a branch punched a small hole in the wood door going to their garage.

Another tree wound up crushing the small wooden fence around the community water system's propane tank and coming to rest on the pumphouse all adjacent to our property.

We still have a tree resting on the severely sagging power line over the community entrance road which is the probable cause for our local electrical outage.

Luckily, our boat in its 'summer time' slip at Port Ludlow Marina appears to be resting peacefully and shows no sign of the storm.

Take care,
Dan, Tanya, and Hannah on Echo