whoa-- major storm coming on the Norcal coast....

[mike_c]

We're getting high wind gusts-- no rain yet in northern California just south of the Oregon border. I heard there is a possiblity that the snow line will drop all the way to sea level over the weekend! Yowza! It was just about this time last year that a storm knocked out my electricity for five days. Looks like it will likely go out again tonight.

http://www.weather.com/newscenter/stormwatch/?from=wxcenter_news

Monster storm rumbling through the Northwest

4:50 p.m. ET 12/14/06
Tom Moore, Sr. Meteorologist, The Weather Channel

A ferocious storm has already begun to sweep into the Pacific Northwest. Heavy rain will spread southward into northern California overnight. Coastal areas could receive 3 to 5 inches of rain, while inland areas along the Interstate 5 corridor will see 2 to 4 inches. Some favored parts of the coastal mountain range could receive up to 8 inches of rain. River flooding will increase through the night and early Friday.

Winds are increasing dramatically, with widespread damaging winds likely overnight. many residents along coastal sections of Oregon have already lost power while enduring wind gusts of 60 to 85 mph. Sustained winds of 40 to 60 mph will be likely across western Washington and western Oregon. Coastal areas will see wind gusts to between 80 and 100 mph while gusts will peak well over 100 mph in the Cascades. Tree and power line damage is possible even in Seattle and Portland. Travel should be postpones unless absolutely necessary.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

1. NWS is talking about hurricane force winds...

Be safe, PNW DUers! :hug:

[Suich]

2. It's been all over the news today in Seattle.

High winds are supposed to hit the city tonight between 10pm and midnight. Not good for the crowd at the Seahawks-49ers game. It's been raining and dark all day...yuck!

:hi:

[Shakespeare]

3. I've been watching that. I keep thinking of those three hikers on Mt. Hood.

If they're still alive (which is doubtful), I'm afraid this may erase any hope of rescue. They were already having total whiteout conditions on the mountain this morning. :-(

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

8. I'm more optimistic

I'd guess they're hunkered in snow caves, going nuts from boredom, losing weight, waiting.

It's snowy and windy, but not dangerously cold.

[LeftyMom]

4. And I have to drive hime in the middle of the fucking night.

Yay.

[LeftyMom]

15. Nevermind. WeatherUnderground says it won't be bad here.

25 mph gusts, 40% chance of rain overnight. Not bad.

[azmouse]

5. I hope some of that gets down here to AZ

We haven't had any rain in 60 days!

[matcom]

6. DID UNDERPANTS ALERT YOU???!!!1

it ain't SERIOUS unless Underpants PERSONALLY alerts you!

might want to PM him ;)

[mike_c]

7. LOL-- I'll check with him first chance I get....

:rofl:

[SeattleGirl]

9. My inlaws live on the Washington coast.

I just spoke with my MIL. They are battened down, and prepared if they lose power (my MIL is ALWAYS prepared). Our power just flickered a bit, but the strongest winds won't be here until around midnight PST.

[mike_c]

10. it's blowing hard here now, but the power is still on...

...and the wind should keep building most of the night. It's been raining for a week so the ground is pretty saturated. We might get some flooding, but we'll certainly have lots of blowdowns-- they're usually what takes out the power.

[SeattleGirl]

13. The Seahawks game ought to be interesting tonight.

High winds and heavy rains. They just said that they've a bit of a problem with the drainage system on the field. Shoot, last tinme they played at home, it was snowing. Now we're gonna be blown right out of Kansas.

[Shine]

11. Jeez, time to batten down the hatches. Good luck up there!

Looks like we're gonna get off easy, down here in the Monterey Bay....
We've only got some light showers forecast for now.

:hi:

[redacted]

14. Yeah (see msg below) I looked it up and they say showers here in Sonoma Co.

So maybe we'll get off easy. Surf is dangerously high today.

But someone got a sharkbite on our favorite dog beach (Dillon Beach) the other dya -- so maybe it'll chase the great whites away.

[redacted]

12. Crap -- we are in Sonoma County, looking up our forecast now. I am so

sick of this gd rain rain rain rain rain. And it's only mid-December.