West Seattle, Washington
02 Thursday
Fall doesn’t officially arrive until next Monday (equinox moment at 12:50 am September 23rd) but tomorrow’s weather will be autumn-ish – south wind up to 30 mph in the afternoon, not major but potentially strong enough to cause some trouble, especially this time of year with leaves still on the trees. Rain will precede the wind, so check your nearest storm drain(s) too.
8:35 PM: Thanks for texting the photo from Alki! We were not sure about the extent of the storm – until a big flash and loud thunderclap outside the meeting we are currently covering in White Center. No National Weather Service alerts this time, though. Monitoring …
8:47 PM: Six major thunderclaps heard so far.
9:54 PM: Back in West Seattle. Storm seems to have passed, for now. One more cool visual:
240fps slowmo vid of a lightning flash tonight around #Seattle. #wawx @NWSSeattle @westseattleblog pic.twitter.com/qrtB8zfUae
— Kevin Freitas (@kevinfreitas) September 13, 2019
(Saturday night photo by Roy Wilkie)
3:45 PM: 18 hours after that incredible thunderstorm moved through (WSB as-it-happened coverage here), some damage has yet to be repaired. The Seattle City Light map shows the biggest outage in Fauntleroy is finally over, but other pockets east of The Junction and in the Beach Drive area. Some have also noted cable/internet outages too; Dustin emailed to say he’s been out of Comcast service most of the day and their outage map shows stretches of the Fauntleroy and Roxhill areas are out. And at least one traffic signal was still affected – 35th and Henderson – when we went through around 1:30 pm:
Please remember that a malfunctioning traffic signal means the intersection is an all-way stop. Meantime, be aware that the forecast says there’s a chance of thunderstorms again tonight and/or tomorrow. For now, though, some sunshine, and a rainbow just photographed by Melissa Kegler:
And if you’re interested in a little more scientific detail about what happened last night, weather analyst Cliff Mass updated his storm post.
9:28 PM: Thanks for the updates in comments. Surveying the pockets still on the City Light map, looks like 150 or so customers are still out in West Seattle, after 24 hours; the biggest pocket is near 35th/Alaska. SCL tweeted earlier, “Due to the large number of scattered outages throughout our service territory and the amount of equipment that needs to be replaced, restoration time may take longer than usual.” Though fewer than 1,000 customers remain out in their service area, that’s distributed among 134 separate outages.
(Lightning over Elliott Bay, photographed by Mark McAndrews)
8:08 PM: Lightning, thunder, downpour. Power flickers too but nothing on the City Light map so far. In a short-term forecast alert, the National Weather Service says this could go on another hour or so.
8:18 PM: Two spots now mapped with outages – 35th/Barton (Upper Fauntleroy to the west of there) and The Arroyos. … Lots of tweets capturing the sights and sounds, like this one:
West Seattle skies awakening @westseattleblog #wawx pic.twitter.com/1OXF6aFEi1
— Casey Agena (@AgenaCasey) September 8, 2019
And this:
definitely close!! pic.twitter.com/flBMdBT4fh
— Megan (@megancontagion) September 8, 2019
8:34 PM: Thunder and lightning continue. More scattered outages on the City Light map in several West Seattle spots, with at least 200 out.
8:48 PM: Adding more visuals – thanks to everyone who’s emailed, texted, tweeted. (First clip below is from Paul Nicholson:)
@westseattleblog @NWSSeattle High Point West Seattle looking west pic.twitter.com/tn72B7FHx8
— Brad McDonald (@GrizzliUK) September 8, 2019
Per scanner, signal now out at 35th/Alaska.
9:04 PM: The NWS says the area had 200+ lightning strikes between 8 and 8:45 pm.
9:22 PM: Here, screengrabbed from the SCL map for posterity, are all the spots with outages – adding up to 200-ish customers (residences/businesses) best as we can tell:
Region-wide, SCL has 101 outages mapped right now affecting 1,100+ customers. And the thunder continues!
9:33 PM: Commenter Michelle says her flight into Sea-Tac was diverted to Bellingham because of the storm. And via Twitter, Tony says his flight from Billings was diverted to Spokane.
9:52 PM: Sounds like (from the lack of thunder) the storm might finally have moved on. Meantime, a few pets have been lost/found during the storm – we’re adding listings to the WSB Lost/Found Pets page as they come in.
10:54 PM: SCL says it’s working to get to all the outages – the number of which has increased since the storm moved north. Meantime, more photos – first, from Marc Milrod:
And from Kersti Muul:
The NWS now counts the number of lightning strikes in Western Washington at ~1,250 over 3 1/2 hours.
2:35 AM: Adding up the numbers on the many mapped pocket outages around West Seattle, looks like about 400 customers are still without electricity.
12:26 PM SUNDAY: And they’re still out. SCL’s map now shows 174 individual outages around its service area, totaling more than 1,400 customers.
9:34 PM SUNDAY: We’re tracking continuing outages here.
Thunderstorms are rolling through the region. A texter says outdoor Colman Pool has closed early as a result. Right now, just light rain and dark clouds, but we’ll keep watch in the hours ahead.
(Photo from February snow, courtesy Jeff B)
Back in April – when we were only two months removed from this year’s February snowpocalypse – we reported on the King County Council considering waiving Metro fares during that kind of weather. Today, on an extra-warm late-summer day, councilmembers finalized the plan. Here’s the announcement:
Today the Council approved legislation sponsored by Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles that would waive enforcement of Metro transit fares when Metro activates its Emergency Snow Network to encourage people to use transit and avoid driving during severe snowstorms.
The legislation was approved 7-2 with Councilmembers Claudia Balducci and Kathy Lambert voting in opposition.
Metro customers will be able to ride without paying the transit fare while the Emergency Snow Network is in effect. The legislation increases accessibility of Metro transit service for those experiencing homelessness in need of shelter and encourages all residents to avoid driving during severe snowstorms.
“Like our policy of free fares on New Year’s Eve, this legislation is about promoting safety,” said Kohl-Welles. “It will encourage people to stay off the roads and get to where they need using a safer mode of transportation – regardless if they have an Orca Card or enough money to pay the fare.”
The measure was proposed earlier this year by Kohl-Welles in response to a massive storm that devastated roads and highways across the region in February and became known as “Snowmageddon.” This resulted in Metro activating the Emergency Snow Network for the first time.
A memo accompanying the legislation projects this could “potentially cost Metro approximately $64,750 per day during a snow event warranting enactment of the Emergency Snow Network.”
Thanks for the photos of the post-sunset glow on this late-summer Tuesday! Above, a panorama from Jamie Kinney in Fauntleroy (click the image to see a wider version); below, an Olympics silhouette from Lynn Hall on Alki:
Another warm, sunny day tomorrow!
Thanks for the tip on this rainy (but expected to lighten later) morning! Texter reports a tree branch down in the southbound lanes of Admiral Way near City View. They’ve called SDOT (206-386-1218 is the 24-hour trouble line) and were told a crew’s on the way.
(New moon, photographed from Alki Point by Jim Borrow)
Whether you love or loathe hot weather, brace yourself for another round – the forecast for Sunday now says we could get into the 90s. The last 90-or-hotter high temperature was 91 degrees on July 21st; before that, 95 on June 12th.
6:14 PM: Just in from the Admiral Neighborhood Association – the first Summer Concerts at Hiawatha show, scheduled for 6:30 tonight, is RAINED OUT – the gym at Hiawatha is not available as a backup. No word yet if Sway Wild will be rescheduled. Five more Thursday night concerts are scheduled – here’s hoping for better weather!
ADDED 8:23 PM: Thanks to Mark for texting the photos.
The cloud formation over the Olympics made June’s final sunset one to remember. Thanks for the photos! Above, from Terry; below, from Kanit:
And from Marc:
Spring’s final weekend came to a colorful close:
That’s the view Marc Milrod had looking northwest from Alki, and here’s the one from Jim Borrow looking southeast:
Jim also sent a bonus pre-sunset view:
Next Friday, you can celebrate the change of seasons by watching the first post-summer solstice sunset with Alice Enevoldsen at Solstice Park (7400 Fauntleroy Way SW) – she’ll be there starting at 8:30; sunset’s around 9 – come learn about the solar system as well as why the park got its name!
Thanks to JayDee for the pre-sunset photo from Alki, after the sun emerged following a rainy afternoon. Good news is that the weather’s looking up for tomorrow and Monday – sunshine and 70-ish highs are in the forecast.
In case you missed the sunset … the photo above is from James Bratsanos; the one below, from Vivian M:
And Guardian One tagged us on Twitter, so we are including their view looking west from the Eastside:
Good evening Seattle… @westseattleblog @CityofSeattle pic.twitter.com/QPTfJEVDjg
— KCSOAirsupport (@KCSOAirsupport) May 23, 2019
That view was texted from Alki – thanks to everyone who’s sent a pic.
Reader video following the rainbow’s arch pic.twitter.com/nCwNaKCIng
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) May 15, 2019
And from Chris White in the east Junction:
Plus: from “Charlotte and her mom,” @ Gatewood Elementary:
And David Hutchinson‘s view toward the downtown skyline, from Don Armeni Boat Ramp:
Might see more, with rain/showers in the forecast for the foreseeable future!
Thanks for sharing the photos! 3 more beautiful West Seattle sunset scenes. Above and below are from Tuesday evening – above, David Hutchinson capturing The Olympics; below, Jim Borrow photographed an Argosy vessel passing:
The next scene is from Monday’s also-stunning sunset, by Sara Gharbi-Reinking:
Next – might be three in a row!
If you missed the colorful Monday night sunset – here are two views: Above, the sun shone brightly until the very last, as it disappeared next to the Olympics’ Mount Constance – that photo is by Dan Ciske; a bit later, the pink glow was captured by Lynn Hall:
Promising weather Tuesday night, too.
Early this morning, the Olympic Mountains peeked out from beneath the clouds to show what was happening up there while overnight rain was soaking us down here. The top photo – featuring Mount Constance – is from Jim Borrow; the wider view below is from JayDee:
Side note: We wondered about the state of the snowpack, given that March was light on precipitation. Here’s a variety of ways to gauge it.
(WSB photo)
2:19 PM: Thanks for the tip – those tree limbs that fell on SW Othello east of California SW in Gatewood [map] are the first effects we’ve seen of the bursts of wind and rain that have moved through a few times so far this afternoon. Inbetween – some sunbreaks like the one we’re in right now. The National Weather Service’s Wind Advisory alert remains in effect until 7 tonight. If the weather causes any trouble where you are, text or call 206-293-6302 to let us know – thanks!
4:39 PM: The NWS just announced it’s ending the Wind Advisory early.
Blustery weather is expected tomorrow – so much so, that the National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory alert for 11 am-7 pm Saturday:
* WIND…Southerly 20 to 35 mph with gusts 40-55 mph. …
* TIMING…Winds will increase late Saturday morning and peak during the afternoon hours. Winds will diminish Saturday evening.
* IMPACTS…Winds will make driving difficult for high profile vehicles. Weak trees or small tree branches may be blown down and result in local power outages.
For those by the water, looks like the day’s highest tide will be past before the wind kicks up.
Thanks for sharing the views of tonight’s super sunset! The photo above is from “Diver Laura” James; below, from Marc Milrod:
We might not be so lucky tomorrow night, as the forecast suggests rain will return.
Thanks for the photos from spring’s first sunset! The panorama above is from David Hutchinson. Below, Scott Scowcroft was at Alice Enevoldsen‘s 40th change-of-seasons watch at Solstice Park (we had to miss it because of breaking news):
Alice says it went well. (ADDED EARLY THURSDAY) Two more photos from her event, by Jason Enevoldsen, who counted about 90 in attendance:
And what a sunset it was! Another view, from Lynn Hall:
Right around the same time, the full moon rose in the east – as noted after our roundup of today’s moonset photos, you can look for tomorrow’s moonset around 7:27 am.
Thanks for the photos of this morning’s marvelous moonset! Above is from James Bratsanos; below, from Chris Frankovich:
From David Hutchinson:
And from Jim Borrow:
(Added) One more – from Kersti Muul:
The moon is not officially full until tonight – the first time in 38 years the full moon and spring equinox have been on the same date! (You can always find moonset/moonrise times on the WSB West Seattle Weather page – 7:09 pm moonrise tonight, 7:27 am moonset tomorrow.)
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