Video/photos/updates: Monday morning’s high tide, waves, wind

(SCROLL DOWN for the newest photos/video)

(Added 8:44 am – high tide swamping Statue of Liberty Plaza)
ORIGINAL 6:06 AM REPORT: So far, no major damage or outages reported in West Seattle in the four and a half hours since the wind started kicking up. We’re starting this new report to track whatever happens – including our usual traffic watch – during the morning commute and beyond.

(The west-facing bridge camera is back! Other cams are on the WSB Traffic page)
VASHON WATER TAXI CANCELED: King County just sent a text alert that the Vashon-Downtown Seattle Water Taxi is canceled TFN because of the wind. There are **no** changes reported to the West Seattle Water Taxi so far, though.

HIGH WIND WARNING: The National Weather Service’s wind advisory has been upgraded to a high-wind warning, in effect till noon. See it here; it mentions sustained wind out of the SW, 25-35 mph with gusts of 60 mph possible until midday, though it’ll still be breezy then, with gusts of up to 40 mph.

SNOW TONIGHT/TOMORROW? We mentioned it on Sunday – and the possibility of snow after midnight is still in the newest forecast.

7:06 AM UPDATE: In our area, two single-customer outages are now listed on the City Light map, one in North Admiral and one in Shorewood, both with “tree” listed as the cause. The ground saturation from recent rain has increased the tree/slide risk. On the WSB Facebook page, KL reminds us that since many in West Seattle have Monday trash pickup, you’ll want to take extra steps to secure your containers since the wind will be gusty for at least a few more hours. Also note that this morning’s high “king tide” – almost 13 feet – is still more than an hour away; (added) Justin took this predawn video from Alki and 53rd around 6:30 – no beach visible:

Further west, Beach Drive Blog is tracking it, including video updates.

7:26 AM: Potential traffic trouble – 3-vehicle crash at Delridge/Genesee. Emergency responders en route.

7:51 AM: Waiting to hear from our crew at that scene. Meantime, now that it’s becoming light, we’re seeing what the mega-high tide looks like – Lise Thivierge just sent this from Seacrest:

Seattle Fire has been dispatched to a home in the 6700 block of Beach Drive reporting water coming into the house.

8:05 AM: Just got this video from Mark Tabbutt near Lowman Beach:

8:29 AM: And from Margot in the 7100 block of Beach Drive – she says this is her “front yard”:

We’ve been to Statue of Liberty Plaza, where water has swamped onto the plaza itself. Photo (also see video added atop this story):

8:41 AM: Mark near Lowman Beach also sent this photo of high water at his neighbors’ house:

And back on the north side of the West Seattle waterfront – the tide, without the strongest wind gusts, is swamping Don Armeni – Carolyn Newman sent this photo:

8:55 AM: Swamped stairway and boardwalk at Alki at highest tide half an hour ago:

A reader texted this photo from near Constellation Park (south of Alki Point):

Thanks to everyone who has shared photos – we have two crews out and will be adding more of their photos too, but your perspective from waterfront homes is unique and appreciated. Hope no one has suffered serious damage.

9:24 AM: Thom, just south of Lowman Beach, shared this video:

He added, “Since that video was taken, the other half of the gate is gone as well as the splash plank.”

10:19 AM: Further north on Beach Drive, in the 5400 block and vicinity, WSB’s Patrick Sand caught the waves and the driftwood logs looming offshore:

Thanks to Lura for letting us come shoot that view. Not far away, at Beach Drive Blog HQ, where they were busy getting word out about all this days ago, Patrick’s video shows them pumping out the water that came in:

(added) Kim sent this view of the waves along the 3800 block of Beach Drive:

We also have photos of tree trouble in Highland Park:

Nora, who shared the photo, says: “Fortunately one car is in the shop otherwise it would have been under the big branch to the left. Damage to carport with a few branches sticking through the roof. No damage to the car beneath.”

11:44 AM: We went to the Alki Bathhouse to make sure the high water hadn’t gotten inside and done damage – it had not, we’re told. But while there, we caught this only-on-a-high-tide sight:

We have LOTS more photos to publish – will update when we either add them here or launch a new story.

Alkira December 17, 2012 (8:34 am)

The sandy part of Alki Beach is completely under water. Repeat: No beach. Completely submerged. As is the concrete area around the Alki Bathhouse. Highest tide I’ve seen in 7 years living here. Lots of fancy cameras being used out there. Hopefully someone will send you a picture. My phone just isn’t doing it justice.

WSB December 17, 2012 (8:47 am)

I just added video atop this story from Statue of Liberty Plaza – Patrick was out there. We are adding many more photos now that it’s really light and the tide has hit. Thanks. – TR

Belvidere December 17, 2012 (8:59 am)

There is a tree down on SW Spokane Street (corkscrew section) just above from the little power station there. It is covering enough of the road that one has to drive into the mud on the edge of the hill to go around it.

Alkira December 17, 2012 (9:20 am)

Great video and pictures. The tide is subsiding a bit now and the beach is resurfacing in patches.

WSB December 17, 2012 (9:46 am)

More to come – co-publisher Patrick Sand is back from a couple more stops on Beach Drive as folks there deal with water – Nick Adams has been out since before high tide too – and we very much appreciate the waterfront residents who have been sharing photos/video… TR

marty December 17, 2012 (9:51 am)

Amazing! I have lived here for years and have never seen water this high.

sa December 17, 2012 (10:14 am)

What’s the status for Alki Ave? Did water cross the street?

sb in ws December 17, 2012 (10:15 am)

All I can say is WOW!

sb in ws December 17, 2012 (10:15 am)

Is this going to happen tonight as well?

G December 17, 2012 (10:18 am)

Grew up here and once in a while you’d see the water completely cover the sandy beach and wash up on the boardwalk. Happens only rarely though with combination of tides and storms.

Alkira December 17, 2012 (10:26 am)

sa, water did not reach Alki Ave in the Alki Bathhouse area. G, interesting! Thanks for sharing. About 80% of the beach has resurfaced now.

chris December 17, 2012 (10:43 am)

This is what rising seas look like folks…yikes.

Cinder December 17, 2012 (12:02 pm)

Whats with the high tide? Its not normal so did the moon get closer or what?

WSB December 17, 2012 (12:14 pm)

Cinder, these are the “king tides” we’ve been talking about for a while. The state explains them here:
.
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/climatechange/ipa_hightide.htm

Heather December 17, 2012 (12:21 pm)

WOW, just WOW. I’ve lived here for 17 years and don’t recall ever having seen these tides before…kinda awesome.

Chris December 17, 2012 (1:18 pm)

storm surge (a) + high tide (b) + sea level rise (c)

This will be more common as variables (a) and (c) increase due to climate change.

G December 17, 2012 (2:21 pm)

There is an interesting theory, since climate change was brought up, that a warming period might actually lead to increased glaciation. Counterintuitive, maybe, but it goes on the reasonable premise that more precipitation – and warming – must precede the eventual growth of glaciers. Assuming that the accumulation of ice begins to supercede the loss of ice.

I thought it was an interesting theory….

Andrea December 17, 2012 (2:52 pm)

Looks like NBC is taking its news cues from the West Seattle Blog these days :) http://www.nbcnews.com/id/50224548/ns/local_news-seattle_wa/

WSB December 17, 2012 (2:54 pm)

Just a rewrap of KING’s story (they asked our permission to point to our Liberty Plaza video, and talked with us live by phone on the air this morning) but always nice to have the shoutout – thanks for pointing it out! TR

G December 17, 2012 (3:11 pm)

Andrea,

That must be Anchor Park in the NBC story…hard to recognize if it is. Wow.

Ajax December 17, 2012 (3:47 pm)

For the first time ever I’m not jealous of the people living right on the Sound. That’s a little too much water view.

KatieH December 17, 2012 (3:50 pm)

A lot of things were flying around. Three houses toward the south end of Alki Ave. had some exterior damage. My neighbors’ interior got a bath.

Rhonda Porter December 17, 2012 (4:21 pm)

Glad it’s behind us! Enjoying a hot blueberry tea after a cold windy day :)

VBD December 17, 2012 (6:57 pm)

Just curious… The video of the guy with the pumps going; where is he sending the water? Out to the street?? Shouldn’t the hoses be going back into the sound. It’s not like it’ll raise the sea level or anything.

dcn December 17, 2012 (7:16 pm)

The flooded Statue of Liberty reminds me a little eerily of the “Planet of the Apes” (original movie). Hopefully it’s not a harbinger of things to come.

DJL December 18, 2012 (6:25 am)

Mother Nature definitely threw a tantrum yesterday but it’s important to keep it in perspective. Those in New Jersey who took the full brunt of Sandy are still without power and in many cases, their homes.

Eric December 18, 2012 (2:39 pm)

My question is…HAS the tide ever been this high? Is this a record?

WSB December 18, 2012 (3:01 pm)

Eric – in fact, we have just learned that it was a record high water level, according to an interview I just concluded – and will be writing up for a separate story. Beat the old record (going back to the late 1800s) by a quarter of an inch – that is combining the high tide AND the “storm surge” that was happening at the same time. Stand by for the followup – TR

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