A powerful tornado in the Pacific is now making landfall, and its strong winds have caused widespread power outages in Oregon, where more than 100,000 customers are in the dark as I write. this lesson.
Next is Washington State.
Infrared satellite image showing a large-scale storm on the West Coast (see below). Very large in scale.
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A close-up image visible this morning shows traffic with Westport’s lowlands.
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Now for the fun part: coastal radar on Langley Hill near Hoquiam is picking up offshore currents (see below). Very helpful. I always appreciate Senator Maria Cantwell when I see such images (she plays a vital role in protecting hardware).
poison tail
Mid-latitude oceanic cyclones are structurally different from land-based tornadoes, and the current storm is no exception.
Below is the analysis of sea level barometric pressure (solid line) and wind gusts (color) at 4am this morning. You’ll notice large variations in pressure and strong winds on the Oregon Coast, resulting in multiple power outages.
But do you see the strongest winds and steep barometric gradients south and west of the low center? It’s called the “poison tail”. And that tail will arrive in western Washington this afternoon.
Maximum winds from midnight to 9am today so far are shown below. Contact sites in the coastal mountains of western Oregon experienced gusts of 80-90 mph, while gusts of 60-70 mph swept the coast. Southwest Washington has gusts of 50-60 mph. Strong winds also hit eastern Oregon.
forecast
This is not an easy forecast. Winds at any given location will depend heavily on the exact path of the depression.
The UW model’s forecast shows the low pressure weakening slightly and moving over the northern Olympic Mountains at 1 p.m., with steep pressure gradients (and strong winds) over NW Oregon. Not good for Portland.
By 10 p.m. tonight, lows are south of BC and a large ridge of pressure is west of Washington. Early evening will be windiest in western WA. South wind over Puget Sound and strong westerly wind in the strait. Winds are expected to pick up speed in western Washington around 4 p.m.
The NOAA/NWS HRRR model has a similar solution, and I’ll show you its latest forecast (starting at 9am) for strongest winds through 7pm.
Strong winds (50 mph+) along the coast and the Channel. Central and northern Whidbey will be hit hard. Wind gusts 50 mph+ from downtown Seattle to Olympia. Fierce winds over the exposed high ground of the central/southern Cascades.
The Central Europe pattern is heading lower on the more southerly path, which should be less threatening.
This storm is typical of one of the more powerful tornadoes we encounter every year, but unlike one of the major hurricanes (Columbus Day, Inauguration Day, Chanukah New Year’s Eve). Its path is not optimal, it is weak on landing and other reasons.
If you live west of Washington, you should charge your electronics now and prepare for a power outage. Stay indoors when the winds are strongest late afternoon and tonight.
