Tonight, we had enough of a break between storms for this vivid sunset to blaze through. Top photo is by Chris Frankovich; next one, with a pre-sunset rainbow at Alki, is by Marcus G:

And the glow from Upper Alki was caught by JayDee:

This had us wondering about winter solstice – it officially arrives one week from tomorrow, at 8:49 pm our time on Monday, December 21st.

8:32 PM: You might have noticed about two hours ago that the wind suddenly picked up in a big way – “house-rocking” velocity, we observed via Twitter at the time, but the National Weather Service hadn’t issued any alerts. Now, it has, as pointed out by Heather pointed out; the wind advisory warns of gusts up to 50 mph, and is in effect until noon Sunday.

8:55 PM P.S. – TRAFFIC: Thanks to everyone who’s called/texted/tweeted about trouble on the bridge tonight – first, a westbound crash; more recently, an eastbound crash, both on the westernmost section, between Fauntleroy/35th and Admiral. In both cases, lanes reopened before we could even publish something here, but we monitor traffic fairly closely on Twitter, so if you’re heading out or back, check there first.

10:28 PM: Roger caught the westbound 35th crash on his dashcam – it’s toward the end of the minute-long clip:

And thanks to Jason for a photo from Olson/Cambridge, where he says a crash reported about an hour ago involved this vehicle hitting a light fixture:

No major injuries reported in any of these crashes.

In case you’ve been in an office all day – yes, it’s been stormy! Even some mid-afternoon thunder. And, with some blasts of ferocious wind, more tree trouble:

Lara adds that she’s found it almost impossible to book a tree-removal service. (Any tips?)

Linda says she came home to find a car on her street in Morgan Junction with apparent tree-branch damage, and sent these photos:

Meantime, we went to the shore to see what would happen around late-afternoon high tide, what with the “coastal flood advisory.” South of Alki Point, wind-fueled waves brought salt water up over the seawall again:

Another advisory is in effect for early tomorrow morning; 5:37 am brings an 11.6-foot high tide in this area.

After this morning’s lightning, thunder, wind, and rain (WSB coverage here), you might wonder: What’s next? Answer: Another alert, this time a “coastal flood advisory” for tomorrow, 2 am-6 pm (read it here). As explained by the National Weather Service, “High tides augmented by unusually low atmospheric pressure will likely flood very low-lying areas next to the inland waters. Flooding is expected to be minor and will last only a few hours around the time of high tide.” Here’s what the approaching “unusually low … pressure” looks like:

As for the times of possible flooding – tomorrow’s high tides in our area (see the chart here) are 11.2 feet at 5:05 am and 10.8 feet at 3:14 pm.

P.S. Since the storm that passed through in the 6 am hour, we’ve received two reader videos recorded as it happened. Molly caught the hail that left an almost-snowy-looking aftermath in some spots:

Al was bicycling to work when the storm hit – distant lightning flashes and not-so-distant hail is part of what his helmet-cam recording captured:

And if you’re missing a rainbarrel – this one went astray near 46th and Hanford, and Chris sent a photo:

Chris has checked with nearby residents already and says it’s not theirs.

10:50 PM WEDNESDAY: Forecasters are now expecting strong wind in our area tomorrow too; earlier today, warnings were primarily for outside the city, but now Seattle’s been added. The National Weather Service‘s “high wind warning” is in effect for 2-10 pm Thursday, with south wind expected to “increase to 25 to 40 mph late Thursday afternoon or early evening, then turn southwesterly before easing late in the evening. Gusts to 60 mph are possible.”

9:17 PM THURSDAY: The wind didn’t show up, and the warning is now canceled.

(UPDATED with photo from Wednesday afternoon high tide)

(Tuesday night photo by David Hutchinson: Moonrise behind Columbia Center)

Tonight brings the official full moon – 4:50 pm moonrise (per the moon/sun times on the WSB West Seattle Weather page) – and about an hour and a half before that, another “king tide” at 3:22 pm, 12.2 feet, ALMOST as high as yesterday. Some north wind is in the forecast too. But as for whether we’ll see anything like this …

(Photo courtesy Liesbet)
… we’ll have to wait and see. We did stop by Alki this morning to see the aftermath of Tuesday’s wildness (here’s our video/photo gallery if you missed it):

That sand and driftwood at Statue of Liberty Plaza comprised most of what caught our eye, aside from a few puddles left on the promenade.

P.S. If you miss the king tides this month – next month brings three more, right around Christmas, and then there’s a round in mid-January with the highest of all. They’re all on this list.

ADDED WEDNESDAY EVENING: We did stop by the Alki promenade just after high tide, around 3:30. Some splashes, but nothing huge. Beautiful just the same:

Sunny again tomorrow, says the forecast; high tide will be at 4:04 pm.

(SCROLL DOWN for updates – including video, photos added late Tuesday night)

(Added 3:45 pm, WSB photo by Patrick Sand)

ORIGINAL REPORT, 1:42 PM: Thanks to David Hutchinson for photos from Alki showing north-wind-fueled waves against the seawall well before the 2:40 pm high “king” tide (previewed here last night).

He also shows us that Alki Bathhouse has sandbags out just in case:

This isn’t even the highest “king tide” of winter – but of course, without the wind, higher tides can be far more sedate. Updates to come.

2:54 PM: Just back from the totally swamped Alki boardwalk – water over the walkway, and the Bathhouse certainly needs the sandbags. This :15 Instagram video clip is only a taste:

And we do mean “taste” – if you are anywhere within a block of the water, you’ll taste salt spray. Felt like stronger wind/waves than the corresponding “king tide” + north wind event last year. Downloading more images when everything dries out. (Also – We were live on Periscope for about four minutes until conditions shut down our phone; the archived video is visible for 24 hours at this link.)

3:39 PM UPDATE: The National Weather Service has a “coastal flood advisory” in effect through 5 pm because of the overflow in areas like Alki.

4:15 PM: The West Seattle Water Taxi run is “temporarily suspended” until this calms down, according to text/e-mail alerts.

4:42 PM: And if you use Marine View Drive, beware of a tree hanging over 46th SW, according to Meg, who says it’s been reported to 911.

4:55 PM: King County Water Taxi service is canceled for the rest of the night, per the newest alert.

ADDED 10:21 PM: Video from “Diver Laura” James, “up close and personal” with the waves, as she put it:

From Kersti Muul:

And from Long Bach Nguyen, the next three beautiful scenes as blustery day gave way to night:

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Another “king tide” tomorrow – but without the wind.

(November 2014 photo by Long Bach Nguyen)
While the “s”(now) word has vanished from the city forecast, another force of nature is on the way: The first “king tide” of the season. The 2:40 pm high tide will be 12.3 feet, one of the highest of the season (here’s the full regional “king tide” chart for this month through January) – the state is again looking for photos of the tides’ effects. Tomorrow has a potential complication – wind from the north, 15-25 mph, which could bring the water over the seawall on the Alki promenade. Not likely anything resembling the famous December 2012 storm-surge-enhanced king tide – but depending on the wind, conditions could resemble what happened when high tide met gusty north wind a year ago.

Thanks to David Hutchinson for sharing the two scenes from another cloudless evening – “Clear, cool and a bit breezy out around sunset this evening. Made for a nice view from Don Armeni of the skyline and the gibbous moon.”

You’ve probably heard we might get snow showers Monday night/Tuesday morning … here’s the newest forecast.

7:09 PM: Commenter “Community Member” first mentioned it in comments on our previous storm story – but we could hardly believe it until we saw it in the photo above: Hail/sleet has fallen in various West Seattle spots. We’re checking the forecast to see what’s next.

7:20 PM: More photos – this one is from Steve:

He explains, “It sounded like really heavy rain for the past 10 minutes up here in Admiral (Just East of Schmitz Park). When I let our dog out, the rear deck was covered in some kind of frozen precipitation. You can also see our umbrella that was broken off in the windstorm.”
Video from Mark in High Point:

From Kate in Seaview:

And from Kyle near Ercolini Park:

Closer look at what fell from the sky, tweeted by Amy (as mentioned in comments):

So far as we can tell, this wasn’t forecast, but in this kind of storm, just about anything can happen. Tonight’s low is expected to be in the 40s.

ADDED 8:49 PM: One more photo – texted, so we don’t know who to credit:

Hiawatha Playfield, if you don’t recognize it.

(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 Service has 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.

5:53 PM: The wind advisory is now extended into tomorrow.

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.