Rainfall could be to 3 inches, winds strong, forecasters say
WHATCOM — In the weather forecast through Wednesday, Jan. 13, are strong winds, gales, king tides, rainfall, landslides and possible flooding, county Emergency Management reports.
Be prepared for power outages and, because fields and ditches are all quite full, water over roadways in places, said department deputy director John Gargett in an email.
Wind could cause trees and branches to fall, and the freezing level will rise to 5,000-7,000 feet on Tuesday, along with the potential for significant rain, he said.
For the Washington coast, the National Weather Service has issued a gale warning from midnight Monday through 6 a.m. Wednesday. Winds are predicted to be from the southeast at 25-35 knots affecting most of coastal Whatcom County. Areas that may have the strongest impacts are Blaine, the east side of Sandy Point, the Lummi Peninsula and Point Whitehorn.
Coastal communities will see two king tides, the first of 11 feet around 6 a.m. Tuesday and the second at about 6:45 a.m. Wednesday at 11.43 feet., and others could follow. Emergency Management says southeast winds tend to push the tide away from Whatcom County’s coast, with Point Roberts, Boundary Bay and the east side of Sandy Point being possible exceptions.
Heavy rainfall is expected from Monday evening through Wednesday, according to the Weather Service. It will be 1 to 3 inches across the lowlands and 3 to 6 inches in the mountains.
Whatcom County Public Works (www.whatcomcounty.us/308/Public-Works) is the lead agency for Nooksack River flooding, closely monitoring actual conditions and posting information as needed. As of 9 a.m. Monday, serious flooding was not foreseen.
However, the National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for the Northwest region.
Heavy wet snow is expected to fall at elevations above 3,000 feet, with heaviest accumulations at Stevens Pass and Mount Baker. Avalanche danger also increases.
