For the second time in a decade, a windstorm has taken its toll on the iconic cow (steer?) atop John’s Corner Deli in Sunrise Heights, via gust-powered cow-tipping. Soon as the folks across the street at West Seattle Autoworks (WSB sponsor) mentioned it, we remembered its disappearance during the 2006 Hanukkah Eve windstorm. So far today, the bovine fixture at 35th/Webster is still in view – just lying down on the job.
3:15 PM UPDATE: @MetPatrick tweeted this photo of The Cow being secured:
(SCROLL DOWN for updates … ROAD HAZARD? 206-386-1218 … POWER OUT? 206-684-3000)
(Added: WSB photo, wind-swept waves at Constellation Park)
FIRST POWER OUTAGE REPORT, 8:41 AM: Thanks to those who texted – the power’s out for more than 4,800 homes and businesses:
Seattle City Light‘s map says the cause is under investigation. While you’ll see “estimated restoration” times there, PLEASE remember that those are only guesstimates and almost always, the actual time is something completely different – could be much earlier or much later.
9 AM: Commenters report Alki Elementary and Pathfinder K-8 are without power. We are checking with Seattle Public Schools.
9:17 AM: About a third of those who lost power have it back – thanks to Tony in Seaview for first word on that.
9:20 AM: Our crew just stopped by Alki Elementary. Aside from the lack of electricity, it’s “business as usual,” and classes continue.
9:40 AM: City Light says a tree is to blame for the outage. Don’t know exactly where. Meantime, thanks for the texted photo of this tree down by Sanislo Elementary:
The texter says it’s *not* blocking the road. Sanislo DOES have power. Alki and Pathfinder remain the only schools that lost power, but district spokesperson Stacy Howard tells WSB that they have enough natural light to keep classes going.
9:52 AM: Photojournalist Erika Schultz says Pathfinder’s back on – it was a pocket outage all along, on Pigeon Point:
10:06 AM: Thanks for the texts and comments about more power restoration – Alki, Beach Drive, Genesee Hill. Waiting for City Light map to update. (1 minute later) Looks like everyone’s back on – if you’re NOT, please be sure to call SCL – 206-684-3000.
SECOND POWER OUTAGE, 10:17 AM: Almost immediately after that outage was resolved, a new one has hit – Puget Ridge, Riverside, points south, 2,100+ customers per City Light map:
10:25 AM: Just got a texted report of wires down on Beach Drive near Cormorant Cove Park (3700 block).
11:02 AM: Thanks for the updates – the SCL map verifies that the SECOND outage is now over, in less than an hour. That includes Sanislo. Again, if you are still without power somewhere, please call to be sure SCL knows – there might be pocket outages here and there.
11:26 AM: While the power’s back for all except a spot here and there (here’s the “live” map), the storm is still going full strength – we’ve just been down and around a few spots including Constellation Park south of Alki Point, adding photo (top).
11:57 AM: We’ll be launching an afternoon edition of storm coverage soon. Meantime, latest trouble spot we’ve heard about is south of West Seattle – trees down on the north lanes of 1st Avenue South near 116th, in Top Hat.
(Calm between storms. Sunday sunset at Alki, photographed by David Hutchinson)
The National Weather Service‘s alert for tomorrow has escalated to a “High Wind Warning” – read it here. The warning will be in effect 5 am-6 pm Tuesday, and says that wind from the “south or southwest 25-to-40 mph with gusts near 60 mph are possible beginning Tuesday morning and continuing into the afternoon hours.” And since it’s been so soggy lately – with four inches of rain in the city in a three-day period through Sunday – that increases the likelihood of tree trouble, a top cause of power outages, so charge everything tonight and know the whereabouts of your batteries and flashlights.
(Added: Golden Sunday afternoon – photo by Lynn Hall)
Definitely the calm between the storms right now – and this might be your best chance to go do some cleaning and inspecting before the next round, because the National Weather Service has announced a High Wind Watch for Tuesday – read the whole thing here. While there’s always a chance it won’t happen, if it DOES, it could be serious, warns the NWS: “Possible south winds 35 to 45 mph with gusts 65 to 75 mph Tuesday, shifting to the west late Tuesday afternoon.” Trees are more at risk of toppling than in previous storms because four inches of rain in the past three days has softened the ground. Updates to come!
ORIGINAL REPORT, 2:27 PM: After a lengthy downpour, reports of storm-related trouble are coming in. First one: The reader photo above shows 35th SW south of Barton, looking north at water over the road. It’s been raining so hard, some drains are bound to have become overwhelmed, especially with leaves still left to come off the trees – if you’re able, go check your nearest drains and make sure they’re clear.
2:37 PM: Per scanner, police are looking to block off traffic in the area as the water is at an unsafe level. We’re heading over to check. We’ve also received a report of a mudslide near Delridge and Orchard but we haven’t verified yet exactly where and how/whether it’s affecting traffic.
2:53 PM: Confirmed – police are blocking 35th SW both ways on the south side of the Barton intersection – only buses are being allowed through. The water’s so deep, it’s up over the sidewalk on the west side of 35th SW.
3:39 PM: We checked all sides of Delridge/Orchard, for a few blocks each way, and there’s no mudslide (or deep water) affecting traffic.
3:55 PM: Just checked back at 35th/Barton – open now.
Make sure everything you need to charge is charged by tomorrow afternoon – the National Weather Servicehas a “wind advisory” alert for 4 pm Thursday through 4 pm Friday. Right now, that means winds are likely out of the south, 20-35 mph sustained, gusts up to 45 mph. It’s going to be wet, too, with the NWS saying up to two inches of rain is likely between Thursday and Saturday in the lowlands.
Yes, that’s a thunderstorm heading this way. Several people have mentioned seeing and hearing it (thanks to MetPatrick for first word); the National Weather Service has a “short-term forecast” about it, too. It won’t last long but there’s more stormy weather on the way, according to the NWS, which has a “Special Weather Statement” for bouts of strong wind and heavy rain, starting Tuesday night.
If you take a look at the National Weather Service‘s Seattle page, our area is devoid of color – which means no more warnings/alerts in effect. The rainbow would seem to underscore that. Thanks to Max for the photo!
(UPDATED SATURDAY EVENING with extension of wind advisory into Sunday)
10:19 AM: Rain plus wind often equals fallen trees, and that’s happened in several West Seattle spots so far this morning. One that’s potentially affecting traffic is reported to be down on the Admiral Way hill north of the West Seattle Bridge – southbound lanes close to the top, we’re told. More to come.
10:42 AM: The tree – reported by multiple texters/callers – was apparently dealt with quickly; all lanes are open, no downed tree in sight. On 44th SW over Lincoln Park, south of SW Southern, we confirmed one down on the greenbelt-bordered cut-through section east of Lincoln Park:
And in the park itself, Nate photographed this one:
The National Weather Service’s wind-advisory alert is now in effect until 3 pm. Thanks again for letting us know if you spot a storm problem (or any other kind of breaking news) – text or voice, 206-293-6302, any time, 24/7.
5:20 PM: Thanks to GB for updates in comments on a power outage that didn’t show on SCL’s map – caused by a tree over Fairmount Playfield, just resolved, GB reports, after 9+ hours.
6:34 PM: Corrected the street on which the tree is down east of Lincoln Park to 44th, not 45th, after a note from Catherine, who mentions it’s still partly blocking the road – that stretch (also known as the switchbacks) is precarious even in the best of times so be extra careful if you’re traveling that way.
While the wind advisory for this morning’s stormy weather expired in mid-afternoon, another one is about to take effect. The National Weather Service has a wind advisory taking effect at 9 tonight and continuing until noon Saturday. Like this morning, the wind will be out of the south, 20-30 mph with gusts to 45 mph. Be sure everything’s charged, just in case! Heavy rain is still on the way, too; here’s the forecast. As always, we’ll continue coverage throughout the weekend, so if your neighborhood experiences storm trouble (power outage, trees/wires down, etc.) please let us know – text or call 206-293-6302 any time.
While the rain’s taking a break right now, the wind kicked up early this morning, out of the south, and that finally brought an official “wind advisory” from the National Weather Service, in effect until 3 this afternoon, with gusts as high as 45 mph. The photo above is from Constellation Park south of Alki Point, where sea spray blew over the seawall – and onto Beach Drive SW at times – when this morning’s 12-foot high tide collided with wind-fueled waves. The “flood watch” alert is still set to take effect about the time the rain returns this evening, with heavy rain expected at times through Sunday, so our “clear your storm drains” advice from yesterday continues. Also, if you live in a flood zone and need sandbags, you can get them at Delridge Community Center (4501 Delridge Way SW).
Soon as we publish this, we’re headed out to clear that drain – since the National Weather Service has a “Flood Watch” alert in effect for tomorrow night through Sunday afternoon. That’s most critical for people near rivers, but it also means we’re likely to get drenched, and clogged drains lead to problems including swamped streets and sidewalks (see our coverage of the storm three weeks ago) – a few minutes of attention now (scoop up the leaves in the gutters, too) can make a big difference.
P.S. Here’s the forecast – breezy as well as soggy, so keep everything charged.
(Photo by James Bratsanos)
Thanks for the photos! Three weeks into fall, an echo of summer, with a colorful sunset tonight as tomorrow’s forecast promises temperatures as high as the mid-70s.
(Photo by Don Brubeck)
Tomorrow might be our last chance at sunshine for a while, though.
Big thanks to David Hutchinson for sharing that photo of Mount Rainier, as seen this evening from West Seattle’s Don Armeni Boat Ramp. So cool, we wanted to rush it right onto the site. Looks to be a lenticular cloud formation. What a sight to end a weekend that began with wild weather!
1:58 PM: You’ve probably noticed the wind has kicked up in a big way. The National Weather Service now has the area under a “wind advisory” alert until 5 pm, with sustained winds from the south-southwest at 20 to 30 mph, and the possibility of gusts up to 45 mph.
2:23 PM: Since then, we’ve also had another wave of heavy rain, and we’re hearing reports of some street flooding, including near the heart of Morgan Junction. Off to check. Also adding a phone-video clip from one wind/rain burst. Check your nearest storm drains when you can to be sure leaves/other debris aren’t clogging them.
3:20 PM: That video is from Fauntleroy Way in the Fairmount Springs area, where leaf-clogged drains have left enough water across the road for hydroplaning. We noticed some caring souls out there working to unclog the drains. We also checked out the alley behind the businesses on the west side of 4700 block of California SW in The Junction – longtime troublespot:
Brian Allen sent word that Weather Underground tallies the rain at more than an inch, this afternoon alone. Also just caught this traffic alert via a tip from Tamisha:
No visual but per @seattlepd flooding on SW Admiral Way has ramp to EB West Seattle Bridge closed. Use caution & use alternate routes
We’ve had (and are having) some rain, and water-saving has topped the city’s request, but don’t stop now, the regional water utilities are imploring you in this update:
Fall has arrived, but consistent fall rains have not. Everett, Seattle, and Tacoma remain in the second stage of their drought response plans. The water systems rely on fall rains to fill the reservoirs so there is enough water for people and fish. Customers in the region have reduced their use over the past eight weeks by a total of 14 percent. The cities are asking their customers to continue to reduce their water use.
This time of year is critical in the salmon life cycle, as they migrate back from the ocean and travel up their native rivers to spawn. Both the amount and temperature of water in rivers affect their ability to conserve energy, avoid predators and successfully spawn.
… The total water level in SPU’s reservoirs is at 74 percent of what would be typical for this time of year.
Fall officially arrives early tomorrow – 1:22 am our time- and yes, West Seattle’s own NASA Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen has confirmed this morning that she WILL help you welcome the new season with her 26th seasonal-sunset-watch event at Solstice Park tomorrow night. Be there by 6:30 pm Wednesday to (among other fun and educational things) see how the sunset lines up with the park’s special markers – which were not on hand for the summer solstice, due to restoration work, but, we are told, have since been returned. Solstice Park is east of the north end of Lincoln Park; Alice’s website AlicesAstroInfo.com has directions. See you there! (WSB photo from Alice’s 2014 fall-equinox event)
6:11 PM: Today we’ve seen sun, wind, rain … and a rainbow. Thanks for sharing photos; this one is from Travis on the east edge of The Junction, via Twitter.
ADDED 7:15 PM: Thanks to David Williams from this view from the Charlestown/44th vicinity:
ADDED 10:43 PM: And congratulations to newlyweds Meghan and Matt Miller – who came home from their wedding reception to find the rainbow over their Highland Park home!
(PLEASE SCROLL DOWN for updates – most recent one, 5:53 pm)
11:34 AM: The wind has arrived – as the National Weather Service warned it would – and the first outages are on Seattle City Light‘s map: Both small, both blamed on trees, one on Seola Beach Drive in southwesternmost West Seattle, one in Westwood near 34th/Cloverdale. We’ll be tracking the storm here throughout the afternoon – if there’s tree, power, road, etc. trouble where you are, please let us know (after you’ve alerted the authorities) – thanks!
12:27 PM: As Taz just pointed out in comments, there’s a new outage by Constellation Park, south of Alki Point. Since the wind’s out of the south/southwest, that’s the side of the West Seattle waterfront feeling it the most – we’re further down Beach Drive by Emma Schmitz right now – see the short phone-video clip above.
12:43 PM: The Alki Point-area outage is now up to 138 customers, according to the SCL map, which has added a new West Seattle outage, in North Delridge.
12:51 PM: Along with a tree that’s been leaning against wires and a fence just north of West Seattle Stadium over the NB lanes of 35th SW for a while (added above: photo of that tree, sent by Chuck Jacobs – thanks!), we now have a report that a tree’s down on Highland Park Way.
(Photos from Sarahjean – [updated] Sylvan Way branch cleared by her husband, first photo, and bus riders, 2nd photo) 1:12 PM: According to MetPatrick via Twitter, the HP Way tree/branch is cleared out of the roadway. While we’re in a sunbreak, it won’t likely last – dark clouds heading up from the south/southwest and rain is still in the forecast.
1:36 PM: New updates in comments (thank you!) – a tree blocking Marine View Drive at California. By the way, in case you wondered, waves vs. shore action is not too bad because low tide was at 11 am and high tide – fairly high, 11.7 feet, since the moon’s full – isn’t until about quarter till 6 this evening. (added) Be careful wherever you walk/ride/drive – lots of tree branches and twigs down too – WSB’s Christopher Boffoli sent this from 35th SW by Our Lady of Guadalupe:
2:19 PM: The tree over NB 35th SW north of West Seattle Stadium, mentioned earlier, now has police blocking the outside NB lane and yellow tape closing the sidewalk from the south side of the stadium entrance:
Crews are stretched around the city, so it might be a while before this can be addressed, and it will be tricky because it’s on the other side of the fence along 35th. Elsewhere – looks like this tree did some damage to a vehicle – the texter described the location as North Delridge, near Pearls:
Newest outage on the map is near 28th/Holden, as of of less than 10 minutes ago, another small one, at least as gauged so far.
2:43 PM: The Alki Point outage has been upped to 190 customers, with restoration guesstimate around 7 pm (remember, those are really just guesses, but it’s what you’ll see on the SCL outage map); commenters have mentioned an outage east of Fairmount Park but that one doesn’t seem to be on the map. Look here for what IS showing; call 206-684-3000 if you’re out and not sure the utility knows already.
Above, a photo texted to us from 25th/Cloverdale – note the vehicle under the tree. The wind warning remains in effect until 6 pm.
3:21 PM: Drove the length of Marine View Drive, now all clear (aside from twigs, needles, stems here and there, like just about every road we’ve traveled today).
3:32 PM: Via e-mail, Chas says 35th is now closed at the scene of the tree mentioned earlier – we’ll head back out to check in a moment. West Seattle still has five outages on the map, the biggest one, the 190 customers out south of Alki Point.
And, via text, another tree-branch-on-vehicle, this time 24th/Holden:
If you’re wondering what happened to the predicted rain – showers remain in the forecast throughout the day, then potentially heavier rain tonight.
4:55 PM: 35th is indeed blocked off by police – though Metro’s getting through – between Alaska and Avalon, until the unsafe-tree situation is handled. We’ll be checking back. The wind, meantime, has calmed, even here in the southwest-exposed area where we are. For some, the afternoon’s weather was pure fun:
Thanks to Gary Jones for the photo from Alki Point.
5:09 PM: Kristin reports another dangling-tree-against-wire-over-road situation, this one over the west side of Sylvan between High Point and Delridge. She has reported to authorities. And Guy sent us this photo of one at 39th and Manning:
Do be sure to report these – start with City Light at 206-684-3000 – their crews are still slammed all around the city right now so you might not see anyone for a while, but it doesn’t mean you’re not on the list. Speaking of City Light, the map shows a new, small outage, this time in Seaview, near 45th and Findlay. That means seven pocket outages around WS.
5:53 PM: Thanks to Thom for the photo of crews working by Bar-S Field, in/by the Alki Point outage zone:
Meantime, the rain’s back, with the second intense cloudburst right now in less than half an hour.
6:58 PM: Checked while out a few minutes ago, and 35th remains blocked between Alaska and Avalon. One more traffic note – Dave warns that it’s slippery on the ramp from the bridge to NB 99.
7:25 PM: The SCL map shows the South Alki outage fixed – please let us know in comments if that’s not the case.
8:32 PM: In case you didn’t see this in comments – the “boat taking on water/minor” call that briefly brought a sizable SFD response to Beach Drive involved a boat with no one on board, according to a neighbor who says it belongs to someone who lives in the area and adds that SFD pumped some water out of it before departing. Now, a view from early this morning, before the wind kicked up – Ken Pendergrass made this serene time-lapse video from his Duwamish Head balcony:
Ken says the recording covers a time span from around 7 am to 10 am.
11:52 PM: We’ve launched a NEW story to cover the big new outage that just happened in Highland Park and beyond – go here.
The weather alert that started as a “Wind Advisory” has been upgraded to a “High Wind Warning,” in effect through 6 pm tonight. The National Weather Service says the strongest wind is expected 10 am-4 pm, out of the south at 20 to 35 mph, with gusts up to 45-50 mph. That’s a fall-strength storm, as the NWS points out.
WEATHER ALERT: The National Weather Service now has a “Wind Advisory” up for our area for 11 am-5 pm Saturday, forecasting wind from the south at 15 to 30 mph with gusts to 45 mph. That could be enough to bring down trees/limbs and cause power outages, so be sure to charge everything you need to have charged, as well as taking other steps. Significant rain remains in the forecast, too.
CANCELLATION: Just before news of the alert, we heard from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, which is canceling Alki Point Lighthouse tours for tomorrow, and will assess Sunday’s outlook later. Debra Alderman from the Auxiliary says they do plan to host tours all three days on Labor Day weekend, but after that, your next chance won’t be until Memorial Day weekend 2016. (Any other weather-related cancellations/postponements? Please let us know so we can help get the word out.)
Fall officially arrives early tomorrow – 1:22 am our time- and yes, West Seattle’s own 
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