West Seattle, Washington

18 Saturday

56℉

West Seattle weather 2165 results

WEST SEATTLE SUNSET: Short-lived splendor
November 16, 2019 11:00 pm
|    Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE SUNSET: Short-lived splendor
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

So grateful to Bob Bollen for capturing this and sending his photo – we spotted the big burst of color while driving in The Junction; turned westward in hopes of getting down to the water for a clear view, but it vanished too quickly.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE SUNSET: Last one of Daylight Saving Time
November 2, 2019 8:20 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

With hours to go until Daylight Saving Time ends (2 am Sunday, we “fall back” an hour), another stunning sunset. Thanks for sending photos! Above, from Kersti Muul; below, from Kath Dedon:

No rain in the forecast until late next week.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: What you need to know now that it’s slide season
November 2, 2019 12:10 pm
|    Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: What you need to know now that it’s slide season
 |   Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(WSB photo, Alki slide in 2013)

Though our current run of dry weather might lull you into complacency, now that it’s November, it’s landslide season – and West Seattle is often a trouble spot, with so many slopes. Here’s a seasonal reminder from the city:

Did you know that most landslides occur between the months of November and March? As snow melts and rainfall continues to increase throughout the winter, the threat of landslides will continue to rise.

Landslide season is approaching, so the City of Seattle is urging residents to take preventive measures to protect themselves and their property from possible landslides.

Most landslides are caused by water (e.g. rainfall, uncontrolled stormwater) or human activity that increases the weight at the top of the slope or reduces the stability at the bottom of the slope.

With 20,000 Seattle properties (mostly residential) in landslide-prone areas, Seattle’s Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) encourages property owners to take preventive measures to protect themselves from landslides by:

Checking downspouts; making sure they are functioning/routed to a safe location
Maintaining drainage systems by clearing away leaves and debris
Inspecting sloped areas for indications of soil movement and erosion
Shutting off irrigation systems and inspecting them seasonally
Keeping fill and yard waste off slopes
Knowing when to seek professional help for hillside projects

Visit our Emergency Management website to understand if you’re at risk and how to be prepared.

Helpful tools include:

Landslide tutorial
Interactive GIS Map
Landslide Prone Area Map
Do’s & Don’ts

If a landslide damages your property and you have an immediate concern for your safety, leave the premises and call 9-1-1. Seattle property owners with structures that may be affected or endangered by a landslide should also contact SDCI at 206-615-0808 so that a building inspector can respond and perform an initial assessment of the structure.

Visit the USGS website to view the current conditions of the USGS rainfall threshold for landslides.

Early next year we will be providing presentations on landslide awareness during our annual Seattle Home Fair in north and south Seattle. More information will be shared in the coming months.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE SUNSET: Almost time-change time
November 1, 2019 8:50 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Thanks to Jamie Kinney for sending the photo of tonight’s sunset! By the end of this weekend, the sun will be setting before 5 pm, since we “fall back” an hour at 2 am Sunday. (You can always check the sunset/sunrise/moonset/moonrise times on the WSB West Seattle Weather page.)

Share This

WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: Chill-o-ween week continues
October 29, 2019 5:00 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

That photo texted by a reader on Gatewood Hill shows a reading below 30 degrees early this morning. Just south of the Gatewood line, our birdbath froze over. Tomorrow morning will be even colder – possibly into the mid-20s. Any pre-winter prep you haven’t done yet, might be a good time to get it done. The dry weather will continue through Halloween – still cold Thursday night but probably about 10 degrees up from tonight.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: Last Sunday of Daylight Saving Time, with sub-freezing nights on the way
October 27, 2019 9:22 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(Photo by Chris Frankovich)

Thanks for the photos from tonight’s sunset! One West Seattleite even sent an aerial view:

Two things worth noting:

-This was the last Sunday of Daylight Saving Time this year; 2 am next Sunday (November 3rd), we “fall back” an hour and move into Pacific Standard Time.

-If you have a vehicle parked outdoors, you might need your ice scraper. Tonight’s low is forecast in the 30s, then possibly into the 20s Monday and Tuesday nights.

(Photo by Marc Milrod)

Share This

WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: That’s not rain, it’s seaspray
October 26, 2019 4:27 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Thanks to Ron for tweeting the video from Alki as this afternoon’s high tide approached, with wind out of the north. Good news – the clear weather is forecast to continue tomorrow (West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival and Fauntleroy Fall Festival day) and maybe even on through Halloween!

4:37 PM: Thanks to JayDee for the photo:

Share This

WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: Lightning strikes homes; power outage
October 18, 2019 6:56 pm
|      26 COMMENTS
 |   Arbor Heights | Utilities | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(Added: WSB photos)

6:56 PM: The thunderstorms that moved through this past hour have done some damage. Seattle Fire is on scene in the ~10700 block of Marine View Drive SW, where residents report lightning hit multiple houses; no fire, but some damage is reported. In that area, more than 200 homes are without power, according to the City Light map.

7:56 PM: We’ve been to two of the homes with lightning damage.

In both cases, glass was broken, but no one was hurt.

Some tree damage too. At one home, the damage was focused on a detached dwelling unit which had no one inside at the time.

9 PM: Photos added. The residents report the lightning strike was colorful – they saw red at one point – as well as powerful.

12:33 AM: Could be more overnight, says @WestSeaWx.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE SUNSET: Colorful curtain falls on autumn’s first weekend
September 29, 2019 8:27 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(Photo by Robert Spears)

What a way to wrap up the first weekend of fall! Thanks to everybody who sent photos.

(Photo by Kanit Cottrell)

This view reveals the moon:

And a panorama:

(Photo by James Bratsanos)

One more closeup:

(Photo by Tom Stoner)

The National Weather Service says some clear weather is on the way – if the Olympics indeed are in full view, you’ll see fresh snow!

Share This

TRAFFIC ALERT: Tree reported down on Admiral Way
September 26, 2019 4:02 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts | West Seattle weather

Texter says a tree is down in the southbound lanes of Admiral on the hill north of the West Seattle Bridge.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: Wind on the way
September 16, 2019 11:56 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

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.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: Thunder/lightning return
September 12, 2019 8:35 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

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:

Share This

WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: Outages linger post-storm, with a chance of more thunder and lightning
September 8, 2019 3:45 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(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.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: Evening thunderstorm, with power outages
September 7, 2019 8:08 pm
|      73 COMMENTS
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(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:

And this:

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:)

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.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: Thunderstorms in the area
August 29, 2019 5:52 pm
|    Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: Thunderstorms in the area
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

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.

Share This

FOLLOWUP: County Council OKs free Metro rides for snow days
August 28, 2019 2:56 pm
|      23 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(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.”

Share This

WEST SEATTLE SUNSET: Tuesday night’s glow
August 27, 2019 9:36 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

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!

Share This

TRAFFIC ALERT: Tree branch on Admiral Way
August 10, 2019 6:31 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts | West Seattle weather

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.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: 90s in the forecast
August 2, 2019 11:39 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(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.

Share This

RAINOUT: No concert at Hiawatha tonight
July 18, 2019 6:14 pm
|    Comments Off on RAINOUT: No concert at Hiawatha tonight
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

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.

Share This

Last West Seattle sunset of June
July 1, 2019 12:43 am
|    Comments Off on Last West Seattle sunset of June
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

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:

Share This

WEST SEATTLE SUNSETS: Spring’s final weekend ends, plus a summer-solstice reminder
June 17, 2019 1:48 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

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!

Share This

WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: The rest of the holiday weekend is looking up
May 25, 2019 9:34 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

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.

Share This