Here’s the latest advisory, issued at 8:55 p.m. Friday night (Jan. 20):

…WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 10 AM PST SATURDAY…

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…EVERETT…SEATTLE…TACOMA…OLYMPIA.

* TIMING…SOUTH WINDS WILL INCREASE LATE TONIGHT AS A STRONG TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE MOVES ACROSS THE AREA.

* WIND…SOUTH WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH.

* IMPACTS…GUSTY WINDS MAY SNAP TREE BRANCHES AND CAUSE LOCAL POWER OUTAGES. AREAS WITH TREE AND LIMB DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE ICE STORM MAY SEE NUMEROUS ADDITIONAL FALLING LIMBS. BEWARE SNAGS WHICH ARE LIKELY TO FALL WHEN THE WIND INCREASES OVERNIGHT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WIND ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 TO 39 MPH OR GUSTS OF 45 TO 57 MPH ARE LIKELY.

Oh, and did we forget to mention that they also issued a ‘Flood Advisory,’ in effect until Saturday afternoon:

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SEATTLE HAS ISSUED AN URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY FOR RAIN AND MELTING SNOW IN…

CLALLAM COUNTY…
ISLAND COUNTY…
JEFFERSON COUNTY…
SAN JUAN COUNTY…
SKAGIT COUNTY…
WHATCOM COUNTY…
KING COUNTY…
KITSAP COUNTY…
LEWIS COUNTY…
MASON COUNTY…
PIERCE COUNTY…
SNOHOMISH COUNTY…
THURSTON COUNTY…
GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY…

* UNTIL 330 PM PST SATURDAY.

* AT 331 PM PST RAIN GAGE REPORTS AND NWS DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED MODERATE RAIN OVER MOST OF THE ADVISORY AREA. AMOUNTS RANGE FROM OVER AN INCH IN THE SOUTHWEST WHERE THE RAIN BEGAN SEVERAL HOURS AGO TO A FEW HUNDREDTHS OR ZERO TO THE NORTH WHERE THE RAIN IS JUST GETTING STARTED.

LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WITH OCCASIONALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL OVERSPREAD THE ENTIRE AREA TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY. TOGETHER WITH MELTING SNOW OVER THE LOWLANDS…EXPECT PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS AND IN NEIGHBORHOODS. STORMWATER WILL POOL IN THE SNOW COVER BEFORE EVENTUALLY MELTING AND RUNNING OFF. IN ADDITION…THE SNOW COVER AND ICE COULD BE BLOCKING STORM DRAINS AND/OR CULVERTS WHICH COULD ALSO RESULT IN EXCESSIVE PONDING OF WATER OR CAUSE SMALL STREAM TO OVERFLOW THEIR BANKS.

RUNOFF FROM THE RAIN AND MELTING SNOW WILL INCREASE THE POSSIBILITY OF LANDSLIDES AND DEBRIS FLOWS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

CLEARING NEARBY STORM DRAINS COULD HELP LESSEN THE PONDING OF WATER.

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF FLOOD WATERS. ONLY A FEW INCHES OF RAPIDLY FLOWING WATER CAN QUICKLY CARRY AWAY YOUR VEHICLE.

And here’s the latest 7-day forecast:

Overnight: Rain. Temperature rising to around 40 by 5am. South wind between 16 and 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Saturday: Showers likely, mainly after 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 46. Windy, with a southwest wind between 22 and 30 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Saturday Night: Showers likely, mainly before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. Southwest wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Sunday: Rain. High near 44. Southeast wind between 6 and 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Sunday Night: Rain. Low around 38. South southeast wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Monday: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 43. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Monday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Tuesday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 47.

Tuesday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Wednesday: Rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 51.

Wednesday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Thursday: Showers. Cloudy, with a high near 48.

Thursday Night: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a low around 35.

Friday: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 46.

“The reports share a common description of thieves approaching a customer with a ruse that they are going to turn off their power or water and need to go inside the customer’s home,” according to their website.

“We have not heard of any thefts, but want to make our customers aware of these reports so they can protect themselves from such scams,” Customer Care Director Kelly Enright said.

Here’s more info:

• City Light and Seattle Public Utilities do not need to access customers’ homes for any tests.
• City Light and Seattle Public Utilities employees should have identification badges available in plain view for customers to see and review.
• If you are approached by anyone claiming to work for either utility:
• Ask to see the person’s identification.
• Do not allow any such person into your home without City of Seattle identification.
• If the person at your door does not have identification, close the door, secure your home and call police. Be ready to provide a description of the person, the vehicle he or she is driving, license plate number and the direction they were traveling.
• In our Powerful Neighborhoods program, which installs free compact fluorescent light bulbs for residents in targeted neighborhoods, Seattle City Light is working with Ecova, Cascadia Consulting, the Environmental Coalition of South Seattle (ECOSS), and Working Green to hire and train installers, schedule home visits, and deliver and install the products.
• All installers undergo background checks and drug-screening. Installers fluent in more than a dozen languages, including Spanish, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Amharic and Cantonese, are available to visit homes where English is not the primary language. All staff carry Seattle City Light identification. Short profiles and photos of all installers can be seen at http://www.seattle.gov/light/install/installers.asp.

by Ralph Nichols

Burien Police are warning South King County residents to be on guard against a “pigeon-drop” scam that originates in parking lots.

Detective Andy Skarr told The B-Town Blog that at least three such scams have occurred in Burien during the past year, adding it is believed to be a multi-jurisdictional problem.

Targets of the scam have been “older people in their 60s and 70s, well-dressed and driving nicer cars, who look like they have money.”

All victims known to the police “are people with a good heart who want to help, but who are getting scammed,” Skarr said. The amounts stolen have ranged from $5,000-$8,000 each time.

The scam artists are described as two women, both black and both in their mid-30s to mid-40s. One has a medium build, the other is taller and more slender. “They definitely have gotten their rehearsal down pretty good,” he noted.

This is their method of operation, as described by Skarr:

One suspect – speaking with an accent and claiming to be from South Africa – approaches a victim in a parking lot, and says she has just inherited a large amount of money.

But, the suspect adds, she is leaving the country and can’t take the money with her, so she wants to leave it to a church. “She ends up getting the victim to help her find a church or bank” where she can donate the money.

At this point, “the second suspect appears at random.” After also hearing about the plan from the first scam artist, the second suspect “offers to help them with the donation.

“Then they talk the victim into taking money out of the victim’s bank account” as an initial sign of trust – so, they claim, “they know they can put [the first suspect’s alleged inheritance] in the victim’s checking account.”

As the charade continues, the first suspect pretends to leave her “inheritance” with the other suspect as another sign of trust, then rides along as the victim drives around the block. When they return, the second suspect is still there – showing she can be trusted to make the deposit.

Next, as a final sign of mutual trust, the first suspect gives her “inheritance check” to the victim – and convinces the victim to leave the cash with her while the victim drives around the block again. But this time, both suspects stay behind.

When the victim gets back, both suspects are gone – and the victim soon discovers the “inheritance check” is bogus.

“There are probably several instances of this happening that we don’t know about, because these folks are embarrassed or don’t know if a crime has happened,” Skarr said.

Anyone who has been victimized by this scam or knows of someone else who has is asked to call 9-1-1.

Scammers posing as Washington Department of Revenue employees are again calling Washington businesses to direct them to a bogus international phone number that charges them for the call, the Department warned Monday (March 21).

The automated phone calls state that the Department of Revenue has been trying to reach the business about its tax account, and to call 1-800-631-4228. When the taxpayer calls that number, another recording prompts them to call 10-15-15-8000. If the business calls that number, approximately $7 will be charged to its telephone account.

“This is just a scam to mislead callers into paying a phone charge,” Revenue Deputy Director Tremaine Smith said. “Don’t fall for it.”

The Department does make phone calls to businesses that fall behind on filing their state excise tax returns, and leaves a nearly identical callback number of 1-800-631-4028. Anyone calling that number will not be directed to call a second number that charges a fee. The Department’s also operates a toll-free telephone assistance number, 1-800-647-7706.

This same scam occurred exactly two years ago, but efforts to track down the perpetrators were unsuccessful because they were based in foreign countries.

The Washington State Department of Health issued an update Wednesday (March 16), stating “it’s unlikely that we will see an increase in background levels of radiation in Washington,” due to the recent nuclear plant problems in Japan.

“Radiation levels in Washington have not climbed above normal background levels and we do not expect they will,” says the statement.

The announcement also adds: “…even if a small amount of radiation did reach us, it would be well below levels that would pose public health concerns.”

UW Meteorology Professor Cliff Mass seems to agree on his blog, stating:

“…the radiation would mix through huge volumes of the atmosphere due to horizontal and vertical mixing. Since it would take days to reach us, there would be time for larger particles to settle out and precipitation would wash some out as well. Even for Chernobyl, where the core exploded while the reactor was powered up and where there was no containment, serious radiation only extended roughly 1000-1500 km away.”

Here’s the Department of Health’s full statement:

Since the failure of the power plants in Japan, radiation levels in Washington have not climbed above normal background levels and we do not expect they will.

Several factors play a role in protecting us from the release of radiation occurring at the damaged reactors in Japan:

• Most of the radioactive material is contained at the damaged plants; even if radioactive material reaches the upper atmosphere, it would not reach Washington in concentrations high enough to cause a health risk.
• The radioactive material that was released did not reach the upper atmosphere where it could be carried toward North America by the jet stream in amounts that would cause public health impact
• The fires and explosions at the Japanese reactors have not been as intense as the Chernobyl accident. Radioactive material ejected into the jet stream from Chernobyl did reach Washington in small amounts. Even after the Chernobyl disaster, protective action was not needed in our state, and the Japan incident is much smaller than Chernobyl.
• Even if radioactive material is released in Japan and reaches the jet stream, it would take several days to get here because the nuclear plants are about 5,000 miles from our state. In the time it would take to cross the Pacific, it would mix with lots of air as it’s blown in the wind (thus diluted); rain would wash some of the material from the air into the ocean.
• Radioactive decay, especially for short half-life radioactive materials such as iodine-131, would substantially reduce the amount of the radioactive material that could reach here.

For these reasons, it’s unlikely that we will see an increase in background levels of radiation in Washington. Even if a small amount of radiation did reach us, it would be well below levels that would pose public health concerns.

Tuesday morning (Feb. 22), the National Weather Service issued a urgent “Winter Storm Watch” for Wednesday through Thursday, saying that “snowfall accumulations of up to 6 inches are possible.”

For all you kids out there enjoying your mid-winter break, this is good news.

For everyone else, who has to commute in this possible mess, this isn’t such good news.

At least consider yourself warned – here’s the statement in its seemingly urgent, ALL CAPS entirety:

URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA 914 AM PST TUE FEB 22 2011

.SNOW WILL CONTINUE OVER THE MOUNTAIN TODAY AND TONIGHT AS COLD AIR ALOFT AND STRONG NORTHWEST FLOW MOVES INTO WESTERN WASHINGTON. NEW SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS BY EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING COULD BE AS HIGH AS 16 INCHES IN THE CASCADES AND 8 INCHES IN THE OLYMPICS. AMOUNTS OF UP TO 3 INCHES ARE LIKELY IN THE PUGET SOUND CONVERGENCE ZONE NEAR EVERETT.

IN THE LOWLANDS…EXPECT BRIEF AND LOCAL ACCUMULATIONS OF SLUSHY SNOW TO OCCUR THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. THIS IS MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR ON HILLS ABOVE ABOUT 500 FEET THIS MORNING AND ABOVE 300 FEET TONIGHT AND EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING…AND MAINLY WHERE CONVERGENCE ZONES SET UP IN THE NORTH INTERIOR AND NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE EAST PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS.

AN ARCTIC AIR MASS DROPPING SOUTH FROM BRITISH COLUMBIA… COMBINED WITH DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE OFF THE WASHINGTON COAST WILL GIVE THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY SNOW OVER ALL OF THE LOWLANDS OF WESTERN WASHINGTON BEGINNING WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUING INTO THURSDAY MORNING. SNOWFALL IN WESTERN WHATCOM COUNTY AND THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS WILL LIKELY BE ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG NORTHEASTERLY WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH AND GUSTS TO 50 MPH BY THURSDAY MORNING.

…WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING FOR THE WESTERN WASHINGTON LOWLANDS…

A WINTER STORM WATCH FOR THE WESTERN WASHINGTON LOWLANDS REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING.

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…SEATTLE…TACOMA…OLYMPIA… CHEHALIS…SHELTON…HOQUIAM…FORKS…PORT ANGELES…FRIDAY HARBOR AND BELLINGHAM.

* ACCUMULATIONS…SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO 6 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE FROM WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING.

* TIMING…WHILE BRIEF SLUSHY ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN SHOWERS THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNINGS…THE MAIN PERIOD OF SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATING SNOW IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN OVER THE CENTRAL PUGET SOUND AREA…SOUTHWEST INTERIOR…HOOD CANAL… LOWER CHEHALIS VALLEY AND THE COAST LATE WEDNESDAY MORNING INTO WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THE SNOW MAY CONTINUE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING FOR FURTHER ACCUMULATIONS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE WINTER WEATHER. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL IN THE WATCH AREA…CARRY AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT…FOOD…WATER…AND BLANKETS IN CASE OF EMERGENCY.

The National Weather Service released a “Special Weather Statement” on Sunday (Feb. 20), warning that “snow showers can be expected on The Lowlands this week.”

“Snow levels will be near 1000 feet by Tuesday morning…” reads the statement. “However heavy showers will likely drag the snow levels down to sea level.”

As you may recall from the last round of “Special Weather Statements,” these predictions are not always correct. However, consider yourself warned – here’s the actual statement in its entirety:

Statement as of 10:05 PM PST on February 20, 2011

… Snow showers can be expected on The Lowlands this week…

A colder air mass will settle over the region by Friday… resulting in lowering snow levels across the area. Snow levels will be near 1000 feet by Tuesday morning… however heavy showers will likely drag the snow levels down to sea level. This will be the case Monday night with the Puget Sound convergence zone that is expected to develop near the King and Snohomish County border. By Thursday morning… the snow levels will be down to sea level. Thus… any precipitation that falls Wednesday night and Thursday will be in the form of snow.

Accumulating snowfall is most likely to occur with the Puget Sound convergence zone or with any shower bands that develop this week. It was still too early to tell exactly how much snow will fall but the potential exists for a least a few inches with the heavy or persistent shower bands.

The National Weather Service released a “Special Weather Statement” Saturday afternoon (Jan. 29), warning that “a brief period of light snow is possible” starting late tonight or Sunday morning.

Apparently a cold front is moving down, and it may collide with some precipitation, with ‘may’ being the key word here.

No significant snowfall is expected though, so don’t get too excited. The risk of snow will taper off by Sunday afternoon.

Here’s the statement in its entirety:

Statement as of 5:02 PM PST on January 29, 2011

… A brief period of light snow is possible across the interior lowlands late tonight or Sunday morning…

A modified Arctic front will move into the north interior later tonight and then sweep across the rest of the area on Sunday. The colder air associated with this front will arrive about the same time the precipitation will be tapering off. Thus there may be a brief period of snow or mixed rain and snow before the precipitation comes to an end.

Any snow that falls should be light… therefore significant accumulation appeared unlikely. At the most… expect only a dusting. Also… temperatures at most places will be a little too warm for the snow to stick. The exceptions will be the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca and the east Puget Sound lowlands where locally up to an inch is possible.

The risk of snow will come to an end across The Lowlands by Sunday afternoon.

On Saturday morning (Jan. 29), the Normandy Park Police Department issued a warning to residents about a recent rash of daytime burglaries in the city, as well as surrounding communities, apparently including Burien.

Police are reminding residents to “please remember to lock your doors and windows and set your alarms if installed.”

“Please try to take the time to record the serial and model numbers of your electronic/maintenance equipment,” they add. “This will help with our investigation if you become a victim.”

The Normandy Park Police Department says that they will “continue to diligently investigate all crimes that occur in the City.”

If you live in Normandy Park and have any information regarding these or any other incidents, please call (206) 248-7600.

If you live in Burien, the non-emergency number to call is (206) 296-3311.

Of course, if you ever witness suspicious behavior, call 9-1-1 immediately.

Also, to monitor local crimes in your area, check out our continually-updated Crime Map.

On Sunday, Dec. 12, 2010, Miller Creek flooded and closed Shorebrook Drive near The Cove in Normandy Park. Part of the overflow rushed through the front yard of this house. Photo by Scott Schaefer.

Both the National Weather Service and King County have issued “Flood Watch” warnings for this weekend, as “bouts of heavy rain and warm temperatures could send water over roadways” through Sunday afternoon, Jan. 16th.

“A series of warm and wet weather systems will give periods of locally heavy rain,” reads the NWS warning. “These systems are fast moving… but each one will be tapped into sub-tropical moisture originating from the central Pacific. Each system will likely produce 1 to 3 inch rainfall amounts in the mountains. Freezing levels will also rise to around 8000 feet today and to around 9000 feet by Sunday.”

As you may recall, the last time we had any similar flood warnings was the weekend of Dec. 11-12th, when the Burien area was hit hard by a torrential deluge courtesy the same “Pineapple Express,” causing flooding of area creeks as well as a mudslide near Three Tree Point (read our previous coverage and see photos of that here).

Here’s the Weather Whizzes’ latest warning, issued at 5:56am Friday, Jan. 14th:

… Flood Watch remains in effect from 10 am PST this morning through Sunday afternoon…

The Flood Watch continues for

• portions of western Washington… including the following counties… Grays Harbor… Clallam… Jefferson… Skagit… Whatcom… King… Lewis… Mason… Pierce… Snohomish… Thurston.
• a series of warm and wet weather systems will give periods of locally heavy rain. These systems are fast moving… but each one will be tapped into sub-tropical moisture originating from the central Pacific. Each system will likely produce 1 to 3 inch rainfall amounts in the mountains. Freezing levels will also rise to around 8000 feet today and to around 9000 feet by Sunday.
• All rivers are expected to see rises starting today. The first river that will see the potential for flooding will be the Skokomish River in Mason County this afternoon. Portions of the lower Snohomish and lower Chehalis river basins could also approach flood stage late today or tonight. After a lull in the heavier rains tonight and the first part of Saturday… another wetter system if forecast to move onshore late Saturday and Saturday night. With the added rains from this system… more rivers may approach flood stage Sunday and into Monday. Since the systems will be accompanied by breaks in the precipitation… it appears that most flooding… if it occurs… will be minor.

Precautionary/preparedness actions…

A Flood Watch means conditions are favorable for flooding but flooding is not imminent or occurring. Monitor the latest forecasts from the National Weather Service and be ready to act quickly if flooding is observed or a warning is issued.

And here’s King County’s warning:

Bouts of heavy rain and warm temperatures could send water over roadways

With one wet weather system after the other projected to move through the area over the next few days, the King County Road Services Division is advising motorists to be on the lookout for a variety of road-related problems.

The National Weather Service is advising the public that rain combined with warm temperatures will cause some rivers to rise in Western Washington, which could impact roads in lowland areas. Given ground saturation, motorists should also watch for water runoff and debris on local roads, especially in areas prone to landslides.

Minor flooding on the Snoqualmie and Tolt rivers has already prompted two road closures near Carnation – West Snoqualmie River Road NE. between NE. 24th St. and NE. Tolt Hill Road and SE. 24th St. at 309th Ave. SE. If continued rain causes rivers to rise further, road crews will begin patrolling roads in low-lying areas that are particularly vulnerable to flooding.

Residents are reminded that it can take a couple of days or more for water to recede from flooded roads before they can be inspected for damage and safely reopened. So motorists should identify alternative travel routes to reach their destination if they plan on traveling in flood-prone areas over the next few days.

Motorists are also reminded never to driver around road closure signs or through deep standing water. Driving through flood water can cause your vehicle to stall or make you lose control, which can have life-threatening consequences.

Homeowners can help reduce the impact of heavy rain by making sure storm drains around their property are free of debris and are draining properly.

Residents who spot problems on roads maintained by King County should report them by calling the Road Services Division’s 24-hour help line at (206) 296-8100 or 1-800 KC ROADS. You can also sign up for King County Road Alerts online.