West Seattle, Washington

16 Tuesday

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West Seattle weather 2003 results

West Seattle Weather Watch updates: Complete cloudburst
August 25, 2008 4:47 pm
|      21 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(adding info, pix, video as we get it, scroll down and/or refresh)

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(Photo from Alia – thank you! – added 5:16 pm; next, video from outside WSB HQ)

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(video added 5 pm, lightning and thunder a few seconds in, amid ferocious rain)
Poured so hard here a few minutes ago, it took down one of our downspouts. If you’re still at work, check everything closely when you get home – haven’t seen rain that hard in a VERY long time. The street outside our house suddenly looks as flooded as if it had been raining for hours. 5:05 PM UPDATE: All the TV stations seem to have sent reporters out this way, although most are reporting by phone because it’s not safe to put up the live trucks’ antennas in thunderstorm weather. Someone on the Eastside on Channel 7 reports a funnel cloud over there. We’re monitoring scanner/online 911 too, so far no serious problems reported. If you have any photos, or reports of any problems, please let us know (editor@westseattleblog.com). 5:30 PM UPDATE: The skies are lightening now (as opposed to “lightning”), though TV radar suggests there’s more nastiness heading this way. Here’s another photo from Alia (we added her first photo at the top of this post, taken as this all was revving up):

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ADDED 5:49 PM UPDATE: Here’s another clip from WSB HQ during the height of the storm – the water came down with such force (see the clip above) that it broke our downspout wide open:

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5:53 PM UPDATE: To quote Junior Member of the Team, “Hey look, it stopped raining!”

6:58 PM UPDATE: Here, belatedly, is the photo to support the above statement.

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Just as we were in the process of trying to add that photo about an hour ago, the site went down – please forgive us; as it so happens, we have outgrown our current host and we will be moving to a new one shortly anyway – last time that happened, the 12/3/07 deluge hit, coincidentally. We are also setting up a backup site that we will announce when it’s ready, so that if (heaven forbid) this one ever goes down again, you can find us somewhere else till the problem’s fixed.

7:17 PM UPDATE: Thanks to Lissa in Arbor Heights for this rainbow photo:

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Commute alert: Thunderstorm rolling through
August 25, 2008 4:14 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle traffic alerts | West Seattle weather

We’ve seen the flashes and heard the thunder — watch out for another bout of nasty weather on your drive home — though we can see a bit of sun over Vashon, it’s solid ominous gray looking toward Bainbridge and points northwest. Here’s the latest forecast; remember you can check out all the area traffic cameras here. (And here’s the radar link; thanks to Amy for that.) 4:41 PM UPDATE: OK, *that* flash was RIGHT HERE – the thunder followed almost immediately.

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West Seattle Weather Watch: Monsoon arrives
August 20, 2008 3:07 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Weather Watch: Monsoon arrives
 |   West Seattle weather

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In case you’re away from home and it’s not doing the same wherever you are: Monsoon-quality rain here now. Plus, from the Sound, the unmistakable boom of ship horns – not as high-pitched as ferry horns. Soupy out there! P.S. Good news in the latest “forecast discussion” — it says, in part, “Saturday will likely be the warmest day of the next week.”

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West Seattle Weather Watch: Rain/wind likely while you sleep
August 19, 2008 6:11 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle weather

As always, we prefer to watch the National Weather Service “forecast discussion” for more specifics on what’s on the way – it should be updated by 9:30 or so tonight, but the most recent version suggests our area won’t see major effects of the “unseasonably vigorous” oncoming storm till very early tomorrow morning. It’s not too late to go check your storm drains (as advised by Seattle Public Utilities)!

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West Seattle Weather Watch: Here comes … fall
August 18, 2008 12:58 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle weather

Even as the clouds lift a bit, there’s word that today’s just a warmup, er, cooldown for what’s to come: An “unseasonable” storm “more typical of autumn” is on the way late tomorrow, says the National Weather Service.

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West Seattle Weather Watch: A bolt out of the … black
August 18, 2008 12:38 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle weather

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David Hutchinson took that from Don Armeni around 10:30 pm. The latest forecast warns of some possible “small hail” with overnight thunderstorms.

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Update: Early-morning lightning photo – and more thunder
August 17, 2008 11:37 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle weather

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Thanks to Kyle for sending that photo (from 37th/Barton), after grabbing the camera when the early-morning lightning (originally mentioned here) made sleep difficult. Meantime, we just heard more thunder; t-storms are in the forecast all the way through tomorrow.

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West Seattle Weather Watch: Yes, that’s thunder
August 17, 2008 3:41 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle weather

We heard the rumbling through our west-facing windows, but weren’t entirely sure about its source till we doublechecked the forecast; then we got a note from Scott with a screengrab of current radar, and it’s definitely thunderstorm action moving in from the south. If it gets to the lightning stage, photos always welcome; editor@westseattleblog.com!

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West Seattle Weather Watch update: Beach now, art tonight
August 14, 2008 2:43 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle weather

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We’re into the 80s and likely headed into the 90s – we can report there’s still room at Alki for you as of our reconnaissance mission a short time ago – surreys like the one above (Space Needle WHICH way?) are out in force, and the snow-cone stand in the background looked to be doing brisk business. Around Alki Point, the shoreline’s also fairly uncrowded, though geese are patroling the water in sizable numbers:

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By the way, we thought this might be the right time to remind you about the ice-cream map we posted here earlier this summer. Find it here (along with additional reader comments about cool treats). Speaking of maps, click right here to get one for the West Seattle Second Thursday Art Walk, with more than 30 venues participating all around West Seattle, from The Junction to Admiral to Delridge – 6-9 pm, a great excuse to get out of the house during the hottest time of the evening (especially if your home is like ours and holds the heat well!).

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West Seattle Weather Watch update: Bad-air alerts
August 14, 2008 10:26 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Weather Watch update: Bad-air alerts
 |   West Seattle weather

heatphoto.jpgToday through Saturday, according to the National Weather Service, daytime highs could get into the 90s, and an “air stagnation advisory” is now in effect through 10 pm Saturday night, plus the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has just called a Smog Watch. (Air aside, the Saturday forecast is an upgrade from how it looked last night, when cloudiness was predicted; in the “cup half full” department, may finally be a truly warm night for Movies on the Wall, on the heels of last week’s rainout; “Finding Nemo” is rescheduled to 8/21 but this week, it’s “Ghostbusters.”) As for staying cool today – all West Seattle wading pools are open: Delridge, Hiawatha, Highland Park, Hughes, Lincoln Park, as is Colman Pool on the L-Park waterfront. (Click the pools’ names to see locations and schedules.)

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The photo gold at the end of the rainbow
August 9, 2008 10:42 pm
|    Comments Off on The photo gold at the end of the rainbow
 |   West Seattle weather

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We close the night (barring breaking news, of course, which we’re always watching/listening for) with another photo from David Hutchinson — though the summer storm dropped the curtain on tonight’s West Seattle Movies on the Wall plans, it also provided this spectacular sight.

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RAINOUT CANCELLATION: No “Movies on the Wall” tonight
August 9, 2008 6:03 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather | WS culture/arts

lilnemo.jpgSad irony that the showing of a movie set almost entirely underwater has to be postponed BECAUSE of water … but … well … wouldn’t be too pleasant with soggy equipment, moviegoers, and concessions. So we’ve just confirmed that tonight’s showing of “Finding Nemo” is CANCELED. Philip Borgnes of Sidewalk Cinema tells us “Nemo” is being rescheduled to Thursday, August 21st; meantime, “Ghostbusters” is scheduled next Saturday (8/16) and “Galaxy Quest” the Saturday after that (8/23).

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Movie update, sort of
August 9, 2008 5:40 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle weather

Still waiting for official word on the status of tonight’s Movies on the Wall showing of “Finding Nemo” – will replace this post with the official update as soon as we get that word.

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West Seattle Weather Watch: Today’s supposed to sizzle
August 6, 2008 6:30 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle weather

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The water’s really the place to be when the temperature peaks in the early evening – David Hutchinson sent that Tuesday sunset shot of Argosy’s Goodtime II off Alki. Temps could be into the 90s by day’s end (and that Smog Watch is still in effect). And if you’ll be looking for a place to chill with good company by evening, join the “Project Runway” viewing party at Ginomai (southwest corner 42nd/Genesee) to cheer for Hotwire< barista Blayne — 8 pm doors open (bring non-alcoholic beverage/small dessert to share), 9 pm show.

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West Seattle air alert: “Smog Watch” in effect
August 4, 2008 3:17 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle air alert: “Smog Watch” in effect
 |   Environment | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has just called a “smog watch” for all of King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties, because the air is stagnating and hotter weather’s on the way. It’s expected to last until at least Wednesday evening. Here’s what the agency suggests you can be doing to help lessen the severity:

-Driving your most fuel-efficient car, and combining errands into one trip.
-Skipping gasoline-powered yard work and gas-fueled recreation.
-Carpooling or riding the bus to work, events and outings.
-Refueling your car in the cooler evening hours

Full details on this PSCAA page. (And you can check the current air quality here!)

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West Seattle Summer Fest begins; perfect forecast
July 11, 2008 8:58 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Summer Fest begins; perfect forecast
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle weather

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Possibly into the 80s all three days. Official opening time, 10 am today (music starts @ 1:45). Much more coverage as things get going later; activities, vendors, more, listed here. We’re in the official Information Booth in the center of the Walk All Ways (California/Alaska) intersection, daily till at least 5 pm (photo above, taken this morning – that’s Dawn Leverett and Patti Mullen at left, from the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, which is running the booth, with WSB helping out).

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Amazing Space Needle lightning view from Alki
July 3, 2008 10:19 am
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle weather

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Just in from Susan Grossman at Singing Pixel Photography. She says she caught this image from Alki at 1:45 am today and adds, “It took snapping, oh, a photo every 60 seconds for 66 minutes to finally catch an image of an instance of all the lightning that was tearing around this morning.” (P.S. The latest official “forecast discussion” suggests it’ll be dry, with some cloud breaks, by fireworks time tomorrow.)

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Natural fireworks: 3rd of July lightning show
July 3, 2008 8:33 am
|    Comments Off on Natural fireworks: 3rd of July lightning show
 |   Arbor Heights | Fun stuff to do | West Seattle weather

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Thanks to Jill for that photo of the lightning early this morning – she’s in Arbor Heights (which also had one of the best views of the lightning a few nights ago too), and you can see a few more pix on her Flickr page. Meanwhile, with tomorrow’s holiday, we’re all watching the forecast – today looks soggy but tomorrow and Saturday may be better — lots to do all three days, including the Seafair Pirates Landing at Alki on Saturday and the Alki Bathhouse art show/reception tonight (5-8 pm), with a chance to browse creations like this (thanks to Jana):

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More on the Events calendar page (and for tomorrow’s plans – with helpful holiday info as well as activities – on our 4th of July page).

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This time it’s not fireworks OR gunshots …
June 29, 2008 10:18 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Arbor Heights | West Seattle weather

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(thanks to Brian Pickart for that photo taken from west of The Junction; next one is from MargL)

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… it’s lightning/thunder off to the south/southeast. The forecast mentioned there was a chance; if you have a view in that direction, you should get a pretty good show in the hours to come. We were just driving home from downtown (six thumbs up for “Wall-E”) and saw it quite clearly. 10:31 PM UPDATE: Added photographic proof – thanks so much to MargL in Arbor Heights for the pic! P.S. Here’s a pic of clouds moving in earlier tonight, before they got to lightning territory … thanks to Dan E for the sunset shot:

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12:11 AM UPDATE: Looks like this has moved out of range … we were just out driving around for the weekly gas price survey and didn’t see any more flashes. Did get some more photos, though; will add them to this post shortly.

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Holiday updates: Alki 4th of July traffic reminder; the forecast
June 29, 2008 7:33 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

We reported the Alki traffic restrictions here first, back on June 14, and they are linked from our West Seattle 4th of July page (along with everything from parades to practical info like bus/Water Taxi/ferry schedules) – but Seattle Police asked us to be sure to remind you a few more times, so here’s what Lt. Norm James originally laid out in our first report:

Over the past several years, the volume of spectators using the Alki community to watch the fireworks over Elliott Bay has grown past the ability to safely handle. The increased vehicle traffic along Alki and Harbor Ave has become a hazard for responding emergency resources. While most spectators are well-behaved, the increase in large crowd disturbances has also been noted.

To alleviate most of these issues, vehicle traffic to the Alki community will be limited on the day of the event. This will commence at 6 pm and remain in effect until the fireworks commence. Vehicle access to the Alki community will be limited to residents living within the restricted area and their guests. The basic area affected will be north of Harbor Ave at Spokane Street, north of Hamilton Viewpoint on California Ave, north of Admiral from Lander to 63rd and all of the little side streets which have access to Alki Ave. Spectators are still welcome to park their vehicles outside of the restricted area and walk to the viewing sites.

Those specific points are noted on a map you’ll see on the 4th of July page, but keep in mind that the police will be wherever they need to be to implement this, so precise turnaround points may vary – we will be checking back in the next few days to see if the plan has changed at all. As for the forecast — the short version updated by the National Weather Service this afternoon is “partly cloudy”; the detailed “forecast discussion” says it’s too soon to tell whether there’s any chance of showers on the 4th but as the meteorologists write, “hard to have a 4th without stratus most of the day and a threat of showers in the forecast … it’s almost tradition.”

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West Seattle food: Farmers’ Market fresh sheet; ice cream/gelato
June 29, 2008 6:07 am
|      15 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle Farmers' Market | West Seattle restaurants | West Seattle weather

Two food items to mention first thing this morning: First, if you’re going to the West Seattle Farmers’ Market (10 am-2 pm, southeast corner of 44th/Alaska), here’s the latest fresh sheet — standard disclaimer, it’s the citywide list, so some items are marked as only available at other markets. Second, since we’re looking at another 90-ish day, we made an ice cream/gelato map for West Seattle and slightly beyond (click the snowflakes for name/address, and click-grab the map to pan around to make it easier to read if needed; note the 4 Alki locations are so close to each other, the snowflakes overlap till you zoom in):


View Larger Map

Wouldn’t be surprised if we’ve missed somebody, though, so if we did, please leave a comment or e-mail us.

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More scenes from a sizzling Saturday
June 28, 2008 9:57 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Seen around town | Seen at sea | West Seattle weather

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WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli sent that stupendous shot – airshow-practice season! – and the next two wonderful water scenes:

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The riders crowding the top deck of the Water Taxi no doubt had a view of Mount Rainier today, but nothing like this one sent by Scott (who lives in West Seattle but happened to be “above Enumclaw” at the time he took this:

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Those are the “beauty shots” – more photos coming up in a bit from some of the events/activities around our area today. (Thanks to Christopher and Scott, and to everyone who sends pix, video, and info … editor@westseattleblog.com, any time.)

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West Seattle Weather Watch: Keeping cool on Alki
June 28, 2008 4:11 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

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Actually this group probably wasn’t feeling all that cool, huddling around a barbecue by one of the picnic shelters to roast marshmallows. Nice umbrellas, though. Down on the sandy beach, a Malibu-size throng:

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And a reminder that the Seafair Pirates’ Landing is one week from today – an Alki Ave. house has decorated its dolphin fountain with pirate headgear:

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The official National Weather Service top-of-each-hour readings are here (KBFI is Boeing Field – 85 at 4 pm – KSEA is Sea-Tac Airport – 89 – K91S is Alki Point but that doesn’t measure temperature).

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