National Weather Service warns of heavy rain, high winds

The National Weather Service issued a Special Weather Statement on Sept. 27 warning of possible flooding and strong winds in Western Washington, including Everett and vicinity, this weekend.

SETTLE — The National Weather Service issued a Special Weather Statement on Sept. 27 warning of possible flooding and strong winds in Western Washington, including Everett and vicinity, this weekend.

According to the statement a couple of powerful wet Pacific storms for late September will impact the region this weekend. The Saturday system will unload heavy rain on much of the area, especially on the southwest facing slopes of the mountains. Another storm will quickly follow on its heels on Sunday for more heavy rain.

Total rainfall amounts of 4 to 8 inches are predicted for the mountains during the two-day period with 1 to 3 inches anticipated across much of the lowlands. Places like Sequim and Port Townsend will be in the Olympic rain shadow and receive much less rainfall.

The amount of rain being forecast could drive some area rivers near or slightly above flood state late this weekend. The river most likely to flood first will be the Skokomish in Mason County. In addition to the possibility of river flooding, the heavy rain could result in ponding of water on roads and in low-lying areas. It would be a good idea to check the storm drains to make sure they are not clogged with debris.

It will become windy across much of the area on Saturday, with the strongest winds likely occurring over the coast and from about Oak Harbor and Mount Vernon northward. Winds over these areas are forecast to reach 20 to 35 mph with gusts in the 45 to 50 mph range. Therefore, expect brief power outages as well as some snapped tree limbs. The sunday storm has the potential to produce similar or stronger wind speeds.