High winds forecast for area
Published 11:17 pm Wednesday, February 6, 2008
EVERETT — Gusts as high as 55 mph were forecast to pummel western Snohomish County on Wednesday night and this morning.
The heavy winds could snap tree branches and cause power outages, forecaster said.
“We’re certainly tracking the storm,” said Neil Neroutsos, a Snohomish Public Utilities District spokesman. “We have crews ready to go anytime.”
The storm also is forecast to leave up to 2 feet of snow in the mountains, said Johnny Burg, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Seattle, and a blizzard warning was in effect.
Strong winds are expected to create snow drifts and possibly cause white-out driving conditions in the mountain passes, he said. Avalanche danger is expected to be extremely high.
Backcountry travel is discouraged and anyone planning to drive over mountain passes should be prepared for extreme winter conditions, Burg said.
Chains were required on U.S. 2 approaching Stevens Pass on Wednesday morning, and I-90 at Snoqualmie Pass may be closed intermittently for avalanche control, state Department of Transportation officials said.
Last week, heavy snow in the mountain passes forced officials to close I-90 for much of the week. In Snohomish County, U.S. 2 was closed for long stretches of time to take care of spin outs, jack-knifed tractor-trailer rigs and to clear avalanche danger.
The latest round of bad weather was forecast to move into the lowlands with strong westerly winds blowing in off the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Burg said.
“This can cause some damage,” he said.
The outlook is for the winter weather pattern to continue, he said. Things may dry out a bit tonight and Friday, but more rain is forecast for the weekend.
A La Nina weather pattern is causing wetter and colder-than-normal conditions this year, experts said.
Still, there’s a slim chance for a couple days of sunshine in about 10 days, said Alan Reppert, a meteorologist with Accuweather.com.
“If we do get a break, it’s probably only going to be a day or two,” he said.
Don’t expect to put away galoshes or dry out for long.
“It’s just going to be breaks between storms,” Reppert said.
Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.
