The Big May Blow

The mid-May gusts have passed their peak, but not to mention thousands of customers have lost power.

The 4 a.m. steam satellite image this morning was dramatic, with plumes of moisture surrounding the clear “eye” of the storm. Not your typical May satellite image!

Maximum gusts ranged from about 50 mph on the coast and 50-55 mph on Northwest Washington to more than 60 mph on the eastern slopes of the Cascades.

But if you really like the wind, head to Mount Rainier, where gusts hit Camp Muir (at 10,000 ft), 52 mph at Sunrise Ranger station and 66 mph at Crystal Mountain.

Strong winds combined with fallen trees have resulted in power outages around the area, with approximately 5000 City Light customers without power and approximately 20,000 Puget Sound Energy users (see outage map below).

And now the good news, we are FINALLY having a really fun weekend coming up. In western Washington, peaks reached the mid-60s on Saturday and around 70F on Sunday (see forecast map for Sunday at 5pm below). Even the mid 70’s in the Columbia River basin. Get ready for gardening, hiking or walking outside. It would be perfect…for a change.

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