How To Stay Safe During Pacific Northwest Windstorms

With the growing potential for a historic windstorm on Saturday, I thought it would be good to review how to stay safe during Pacific Northwest windstorms. In addition to creating a “windstorm safety kit,” we’ll review what to do and what NOT to do before, during, and after a major windstorm.

Although our windstorms are not as powerful as hurricanes, there are several factors that can make them far more destructive than the typical (category 1-3) hurricanes that that impact the eastern half of the country. First off, the Pacific Northwest is filled with large, shallow-rooted trees that can easily topple during even minor windstorms. During stronger storms, large trees collapse with disturbing regularity across the Pacific Northwest, resulting in widespread damage to buildings and the power grid. This is particularly true in the early autumn, when most trees still have their leaves and storms have not already taken out branches and trees that may have weakened over the summer. For example, a relatively weak summer windstorm on August 29, 2015 took out power to over a half million people. A similar storm impacting the far more populated Eastern Seaboard would have less of an impact simply because of the relative dearth of large, shallow rooted trees. Most deaths from windstorms in the Pacific Northwest occur from falling trees, so it is extremely important to stay away from tall trees during high winds or take shelter in the bottom story of a sturdy building.

Second, hurricanes are generally much much smaller than extratropical cyclones. For example, Hurricane Patricia, which boasted incredible 215 mph sustainedwinds at its peak, only had had hurricane-force winds extending 35 miles from its center. On the other hand, extratropical cyclones can cause devastation for hundreds of miles. One such example is the Columbus Day Storm of 1962, which blew down 15 billion board feet of timber and caused devastation throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Now, let’s go over some important safety information for Pacific Northwest windstorms.

Before the storm:

First, make sure you have a disaster supply kit. Although there are many important things to include, I’ve listed what I believe to be the some of most important below.

• Warm clothes and blankets
• Clean, bottled water (ideally one gallon per person per day)
• Non-perishable food
• First Aid kit
• Battery powered radio and NOAA Weather radio
• Extra batteries!
• Flashlight
• Toolkit (hammer, duct tape, pliers, Crescent wrench, etc.)
• Waterproof matches/lighter
• Whistle to call for help
• Cash

You can find a more complete list here.

Here are some other things that are prudent to do:

• Fully charge all your electronic devices
• Buy and learn how to properly use a generator
• Cut down compromised trees that could topple during a windstorm
• Learn about evacuation procedures and escape routes (if applicable)
• Reach out to members of the community that may require additional assistance during a windstorm

And, of course, continue monitoring forecasts to obtain the latest information on the predicted impacts, timing, and forecast uncertainty.

During the storm:

If you are taking shelter inside, move away from windows and objects that could fall. If your shelter is surrounded by trees, it is extremely important to take shelter in the lowest floor possible. Keep your radios nearby and listen for updates.

If you are caught outside, try to find a shelter, and avoid trees, utility poles, and downed power lines.

Many people are fascinated by massive windstorms, and some may like to go “storm chasing.” If you decide to go storm chasing, be aware that being outside during a storm carries an inherent amount of risk. Be sure you get to your location well ahead of the strongest winds of the storm, as it is extremely dangerous to be driving down forested areas during the height of the storm. Many Pacific Northwest windstorm deaths occur when trees fall on passing cars. Additionally, make sure you are viewing the storm from a safe location away from trees, high surf, and dangerously strong winds. Finally, bring your emergency kit with you, as roads may be impassable due to fallen trees when the storm subsides.

After the storm:

During major windstorms that bring catastrophic damage to the electrical grid, the greatest loss of life can actually occur after the windstorm, especially if it is cold outside. This is because of carbon monoxide poisoning due to improper usage of generators. If you use a generator, do NOT, under any circumstances, leave it running inside your home or garage. The majority of deaths during our last major windstorm, the Hannukah Eve Storm of 2006, were due to carbon monoxide poisoning in the days following the windstorm due to people running generators inside their home.

Likewise, if you smell natural gas or hear a hissing sound, open all windows and leave the shelter. Make sure there are no open flames (even small ones, like candles) that could react explosively with a natural gas leak, and do not flip electric switches.

Also, if the power is out, be sure to only open the fridge or freezer when absolutely necessary to prevent the loss of cold air. Additionally, use electronic devices sparingly, as it could be weeks before the power gets restored to the more remote areas.

Now that we’ve gone over some disaster preparedness tips, let’s get a quick update on the series of storms that will affect us.

Models are coming into agreement on the Thursday system, bringing an intense and rapidly deepening low right up the Washington Coast. High wind warnings are now in effect for all of Western Washington, with storm warnings off the coast. Winds in Western Washington should gust to 45-55 mph, below the 58 mph threshold for a high wind warning. The reason the high wind warning was issued was because this is the first windstorm of the season for the Puget Sound area, and the first windstorms of the season can cause damage that belies their strength.

However, I’ve mainly been focusing on Saturday’s storm, which is currently Typhoon Songda over the NW Pacific. You can actually see it on the water vapor image below becoming entrained into an extremely strong, 200 knot jet stream racing across the Pacific.

The European model is still painting a dire picture, with an intense, 966 mb low racing ashore near Astoria. This would bring extraordinarily high winds to Western Washington and Oregon, and the Oregon Coast in particular would get pummeled.

The latest WRF-GFS still shows the system curling north towards Vancouver Island as an extremely intense, 954 mb low.

The reason for this discrepancy in the models is due to how quickly they develop Saturday’s storm. The European model deepens the low later than the GFS when it is closer to our coast, resulting in a less powerful but far closer low. The GFS seems to be trending southeastward with its trajectory, so it will be very interesting to see what tonight’s 00z WRF-GFS run shows.

The Seattle NWS forecast office made a nice diagram this afternoon, showing the storm track and timing as forecast by the GFS, NAM, European, and Canadian models.

Though a major windstorm on Saturday is certainly not a slam dunk, it is definitely possible. Now is the time to prepare.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll keep you posted!
Charlie