Storm Blasts the Pacific Northwest with Strong Winds
Posted: 6-NOV-2009 3:34pm EST
A potent storm pushed inland over the Pacific Northwest Thursday into Friday. The storm brought locally heavy rain at low elevations and lowering snow levels in the mountains.
The storm also brought a punch of strong, gusty winds and large waves in coastal areas of Washington and Oregon.
Here is a look at some of the peak wind gusts in the region as of the midday hours Friday, local time:
- Garibaldi, Ore.: 91 mph
- Sea Lion Caves, Ore.: 89 mph
- Waldport, Ore.: 80 mph
- Tillamook, Ore.: 80 mph
- Cape Foulweather, Ore.: 78 mph
- Astoria, Ore.: 68 mph
- Bellingham, Wash.: 58 mph
- Whidbey Island, Wash.: 56 mph
- Hoquiam, Wash.: 51 mph
- Seattle, Wash.: 43 mph
Meteorologist Jesse Ferrell, founder of Weather Matrix, has more on the storm in his blog.
Story by AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski
Get expert analysis from senior meteorologists Henry Margusity and Joe Lundberg, plus expanded forecast and radar features.
National Summary
As a coastal storm off New England raced away, spreading snow over
the Canadian Maritime Provinces, snow quickly left eastern New
England on Friday. Lake-effect snow showers also tapered off quickly
in upstate New York. Behind the system, cold winds still blasted New
England and coastal areas of the mid-Atlantic. Besides a few showers
and storms over South Florida and the Florida Keys, the South was
mainly dry with sunshine. However, the calm conditions and clear
skies allowed for a frosty start to some areas in the mid-South in
the early morning hours. The Plains and the Midwest also remained dry
with plenty of sunshine. A southerly flow allowed for
record-challenging highs in the High Plains and moderating warmth
over the Great Lakes. The Southwest also had sunny and nice weather
in place. Meanwhile, a potent storm was dropping heavy mountain snow
in the Cascades into the northern Rockies. Roads became slushy in the
heavily traveled Snoqualmie Pass along I-90 in Washington as snow
levels were around 3,000 feet on Friday. Rain continued to fall over
the lower elevations. High winds also whipped across areas from the
coastal Northwest through the northern Rockies and even the High
Plains. The strong waves generated big waves along the Washington and
Oregon coasts.
Special Weather
The Infamous Collapse of the "Galloping Gertie" Bridge:
--Today marks the anniversary of the infamous collapse of the
Tacoma-Narrows Bridge in Tacoma, Wash. High winds struck the bridge
at a critical angle and caused vibrations to set up, which eventually
collapsed the $6 million, 4-month-old bridge. The bridge became known
as the "Galloping Gertie" Bridge, due to the galloping and vibrating
motion of the bridge before its collapse. In downtown Tacoma, maximum
wind speeds were 31 mph, but were likely higher over Puget Sound. An
important lesson was learned in bridge construction from this event.
Daily Extremes (Past 24 Hours)
National High: 91° F at
Canadian, TX
National Low: 14° F at
West Yellowstone, MT
National High Precipitation: 0.91" at
Aurora, OR
Today in History
Tacoma, WA (1940)
High winds struck the Tacoma-Narrows Bridge at a critical angle, causing caused vibrations which eventually collapsed the $6 million, four-month-old bridge. Maximum wind speed of 31 mph recorded in downtown Tacoma; probably higher over Puget Sound.
Minneapolis, MN (1991)
Minus 6 degrees -- record low for the date.
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