The National Weather Service issued a “Wind Advisory” early Wednesday morning, so again, be sure to double-tie down your blue (and other colored) tarps Burien, as sustained winds of 20-30mph may be coming.

Here’s the advisory in all its weatherspeak glory:

… Wind Advisory in effect from 1 PM this afternoon to 1 am PST Thursday…

The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a Wind Advisory… which is in effect from 1 PM this afternoon to 1 am PST Thursday.

Southerly winds will increase today… peaking late this afternoon through the evening hours. Sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph are expected with gusts to 40 to 50 mph… mainly this evening. The strongest winds are expected to occur over the north Hood Canal across to western Snohomish County… the entrances to the Strait and over the lower Chehalis valley.

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. Winds this strong can snap small tree branches… topple small or shallow-rooted trees… and cause local power outages.

You know it’s November in the Northwest when another Weather Advisory gets posted – this one a “Wind Advisory” predicted to hit around 6pm Sunday night and continue for at least another 24 hours.

As usual, batten down your blue tarps Burien!

Here’s the statement, issued by the National Weather Service at 3:22pm Sunday, Nov. 15th:

Statement as of 3:22 PM PST on November 15, 2009

… Wind Advisory in effect from 6 PM this evening to 6 PM PST Monday…

… High wind watch in effect from Monday evening through Tuesday afternoon…

The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a Wind Advisory… which is in effect from 6 PM this evening to 6 PM PST Monday. A high wind watch has also been issued. This high wind watch is in effect from Monday evening through Tuesday afternoon.

South winds of 25 to 35 mph with local gusts to 50 mph are expected to develop tonight and continue through much of the day Tuesday.

A deeper low is expected to move north through the coastal waters late Monday night and Tuesday. Widespread damaging winds of 40 mph with gusts to 60 mph are possible with this second deeper system.

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. Winds this strong can snap small tree branches… topple small or shallow-rooted trees… and cause local power outages.

A high wind watch means conditions are favorable for damaging winds. High winds can topple trees… down power lines… and damage some structures. People in the watch area should prepare for the possibility of power outages.

The National Weather Service issued a “Special Weather Statement” Tuesday Nov. 3rd at 4:57pm, warning of “very strong” winds and rain hitting the area Thursday (Nov. 5th) with gusts possibly as high as 50mph.

Here’s the warning in all its glory:

Statement as of 4:57 PM PST on November 03, 2009

… Windy conditions for the mountains… coast… and northern interior Thursday…

A strong Pacific frontal system will impact western Washington on Thursday. Breezy southeasterly winds on Wednesday night will become south-southwest on Thursday for the north interior and coast increasing to 20 to 30 mph with gust as high as 50 mph.

Winds just above the surface will be very strong on Thursday. Ridgetop winds for the Olympics and lower south facing slopes will range from 45 to 65 mph with higher gusts possible. Ridgetop winds along the southern slopes of the Cascades will also be windy… with sustained winds up to 50 mph possible. The strong winds will also be accompanied by heavy rains… combining for dangerous conditions in the mountains.

So…considered yourself warned, and batten down the blue tarps hatches B-Town.

The National Weather Service issued a “Special Weather Statement” Sunday afternoon about a strong, windy weather system that’s predicted to hit the area Monday night.

We’re no Cliff Mass, but one thing that struck us was the mention of the pressure in this storm, rated at 980 millibars. As comparison, Hurricane Katrina was rated at 920 mb (lower is stronger), and the Inauguration Day storm of 1993 was rated between 972-980 mb (for a great read on northwest storm systems, with info on pressures, click here).

While it’s a powerful system, since the storm will weaken as it pushes inland, wind speeds are predicted to be between 20-35 mph, with gusts up to 45. There could be downed trees and power outages though, so you may want to batten down all those flowers you worked on Sunday.

Here’s the statement:

Statement as of 3:51 PM PDT on May 03, 2009

… Very windy conditions are expected to develop in the western Washington lowlands Monday night and continue through Tuesday morning…

A developing storm system in the central Pacific is expected to deepen to around 980 mb as it moves through the Washington offshore waters toward northern Vancouver Island Monday and Monday night. A strong frontal system associated with this low will move through western Washington Monday night.

A storm and frontal system of this magnitude is more typical of late fall or winter than of early may.

At this point it appears that south winds of 20 to 35 mph with gusts to 45 mph will develop Monday night as the front moves through and continue through the early morning hours on Tuesday. Many deciduous trees are now leafing. So winds of this magnitude may break some large branches and possibly topple a few trees.

Local power outages are possible.

Apparently two – count ‘em – two major storms are moving into the Northwest overnight and tomorrow, and here’s the latest “Wind Advisory” from the National Weather Service, which is predicting gusts up to 50mph:

A Wind Advisory remains in effect until 7 am PST Wednesday.

A strong Pacific frontal system will move onto the Washington coast late this evening and across the interior after midnight. South winds will increase to 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 50 mph this evening… .then shift to southwest and slowly decrease by Wednesday morning. Expect the strongest winds over the east Strait to occur behind the front after midnight… where southwesterly winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 50 mph are expected.

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. Winds this strong can snap small tree branches… topple small or shallow rooted trees… and cause local power outages.

And what goes better with a major “Wind Advisory” than a warning from Seattle City Light with the UPPERCASE words: “CITY LIGHT RECOMMENDS CUSTOMERS GET READY” in the title? Notice how they didn’t toss this out Monday morning before we received those surprising, sudden 40+mph gusts:

National Weather Service forecasting gale force winds

SEATTLE – Seattle City Light is preparing its crews for a series of winter wind storms heading our way today through Friday. The storms are expected to bring rain and strong winds to the Puget Sound area through the weekend.

“Living in the Pacific Northwest means you need to be ready for winter storms,” City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco said. “Our crews are ready so that if this storm causes any outages, we can restore power as quickly as possible. We have been busy throughout the year clearing tree branches from more than 300 line miles of power lines. Even so, we want our customers to be ready in the event an outage.”

The National Weather Service issued a High Wind Advisory today with a forecast for wind gusts up to 35 mph this evening. A storm with more intense winds is predicted to hit our area on New Years day.

City Light has crews ready to respond and the supplies that may be needed should there be a significant wind event. “We’ve asked the Call Center to remain open tonight,” says Chris Heimgartner, Energy Delivery and Customer Care Officer for City Light. “We are prepared for the possibility of outages occurring throughout our service territory and we can have back-up help available to us quickly if there is significant wind damage. Our main concern is the saturated ground from the snow and rain. Similar to 2006, this can bring down whole trees onto power lines.” City Light has written agreements with other utilities in the region and throughout the West to send back-up crews should the outages and damage be widespread.

If a large-scale storm event occurs, residents should be ready with emergency supplies for at least three days. Items to include are a hand-crank or battery-operated flashlight and radio, fresh batteries, a survival blanket, a first aid kit, pocket tissues and hand sanitizer wipes.

City Light reminds customers to be safe. Downed lines can be dangerous. Also, City Light urges customers to be prepared for any possible outages. Here’s what customers can do if they experience a power outage:

• Do not get within 10’ of any downed wire. Wires should always be assumed to be “live” and dangerous. If someone seeks a downed wire, they should call (206) 706-0051;
• Do not use a barbecue grill or generator inside the house or in a garage that is attached to the house. Do not use a grill or generator near a home air intake vent or near windows;
• Do not use fossil fuel burning auxiliary heating sources;
• Have an emergency power outage kit available and well-stocked. There should be sufficient supplies to last three days for every family member and family pets. Make sure all batteries are fresh. To find out what to put into a kit, go to www.takewinterbystorm.org;
• Know how to manually override electric garage doors, security doors and gates;
• Have a land line phone or fully charged cell phone available – cordless phones won’t work when the power is out;
• Unplug electrical appliances if the power goes out so that when the power comes back on, there won’t be a surge that could damage sensitive electronic equipment;
• Use battery-powered flashlights – not candles or oil lamps;
• Close doors, windows, curtains, and unused fireplace dampers to retain heat if there is an outage;

So…are you ready this time?