Posted on 12/15/2002 4:18:54 AM PST by GRRRRR
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GRRRRRollin'
What about us Washington coasters...
HIGH WIND WARNING TODAY AND EARLY TONIGHT... ...HIGH SURF ADVISORY... TODAY...SOUTHEAST WIND 15 TO 30 MPH...BECOMING SOUTH AND INCREASING TO 35 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS 65 MPH COASTAL COMMUNITIES...AND TO 80 MPH HEADLANDS. TONIGHT...SOUTH WIND 35 TO 45 MPH EARLY...WITH GUSTS TO 65 MPH COASTAL COMMUNITIES...AND TO 80 MPH HEADLANDS. WIND DECREASING AND BECOMING SOUTHEAST 15 TO 30 MPH. RAIN...HEAVY AT TIMES...TURNING TO SHOWERS. A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. LOWS NEAR 45...
Just another Northwest Coastal storm.
Freak weather alert...cowabunga!
Looks like the Demorats are already on the beach.
Gusts reached up to 82 mph in Reno and 134 mph on the Sierra Nevada crest in advance of a storm expected to dump up to 2 feet of snow in the mountains, according to the National Weather Service.
"It's the strongest winds we've ever recorded in Reno," said weather service forecaster Tom Cylke. "What we saw today were hurricane-force winds."
Meanwhile, in Northern California, rain-swollen rivers rose to flood levels, while high winds, dangerous surf, snow and even a rare coastal tornado were reported.
Winds in Nevada blew shingles off homes and toppled truck rigs, power lines, billboards, carports, trees and fences, police said. Many stoplights were out in Reno and police advised residents to stay home.
Sierra Pacific Power Co. spokeswoman Faye Anderson said outages affected an estimated 25,000 customers in Reno and Sparks.
"Our guys have their hands full," Anderson said. "We have every available crew out there."
At Reno-Tahoe International Airport, some flights were canceled and most Reno-bound flights were diverted, said spokesman Adam Mayberry.
"Some airplanes have landed here but very few. Most aren't landing here," he said.
At least three truck rigs were toppled by high winds, the Nevada Highway Patrol reported. The drivers escaped with minor injuries.
Meanwhile, the heavy rains and high winds pounding the California coast were expected to continue through the weekend.
"I would say north of San Francisco on up to Oregon will probably see the worst parts of it," said Diana Henderson of the National Weather Service.
The storm brought the heaviest rain to the coast - by Saturday morning, some coastal mountain areas surpassed 9 inches in 24 hours. The downpour gained strength by afternoon, with wind bursts driving rain horizontally in the San Francisco Bay area.
Already by midday, rains and even some thunderstorms prompted flood warnings along the Sacramento, Russian and Napa rivers. Minor flooding was expected when waters crested Saturday evening.
On the Humboldt County coast near Ferndale, the weather service reported a rare tornado that started as a water spout in the Pacific and moved onshore by late morning. No damage was reported.
High surf thundered along the California coast - waves were expected to tip 30 feet through Tuesday. Forecasters said winds could reach up to 60 miles per hour.
In San Francisco, midday gusts tossed scaffolding from a seven-story building, injuring a passer-by and damaging several cars. As many as 180,000 customers were without power at one point in the Bay area; the number dropped to about 50,000 late Saturday.
---
On the Net:
National Weather Service: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/
The news media always turns the proverbial "mound into a mountain" - of bucks. In the winter, it is not unusual for a low level jet stream over the west coast. I once sat over Sacramento in a "parked" airplane (i. e. aircraft airspeed equal to headwind speed). Others have reported flying backwards due to a headwind in excess of aircraft airspeed. On the east coast, low level jet streams also create big winds on Mt Washington.
Low level jets at 10M to 12M feet are much less dangerous than the swirling tornadic winds of a major hurricane blowing at sea level. 30 foot waves seem high, but they are not unusual in the rugged Pacific Coastal areas. A 30 foot hurricane tidal surge is more than just a wave. It is a mass of water sucked up by abnormally low pressure and projected toward the coastline (which is usually low and flat) like a Tsunami. I believe Hawaii gets 100 foot waves, but its big surge only comes with Tsunamis.
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