December 13-14 Is For Star Gazers

For those interested, if we are lucky enough to have a clear view, the Geminids meteor shower(s) will be visible in Western Washington on Decemeber 13th & 14th.

Word has it that there will be 75-100 meteors per hour.

I have personally noticed an increase in the early a.m. already of this phenomenon. We’ve seen about one or two at random intervals for the past 3 days.

POSSIBLE WINDY WEATHER HEADING OUR WAY

Issued by The National Weather Service
Seattle/Tacoma, WA
4:57 pm PST, Tue., Nov. 3, 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.

STAY TUNED FOR THE LATEST FORECAST UPDATES.

Looks Like NO STORM

Just in from David. Thanks again David.

The 3 a.m. weather forecast has the flood threat going away, as the storm combination was shown by the models as now being delayed and thus not coming together. They will have another model run out in the 9 a.m. forecast to confirm this, but at present it looks as though it will be wet but not a flooding event. Excellent!

http://www.atmos.washington.edu./data/disc_report.html

SEVERE WEATHER ALERT

This just in from David Cameron. Thanks for the information Dave.

http://www.atmos.washington.edu./data/disc_report.html

Check the short term and hydrology sections especially from the morning forecast. Forecasts update around 3 p.m. and a.m. and 9 a.m. Substantial rain from typhoon remnants + Gulf of Alaska storm meet and may come our way with very high freezing level and hefty amounts of precipitation.

Weather Information From David Cameron, PhD.

I had asked some questions in the February ’09 newsletter that went out this morning and got a prompt answer from a Town Historian, David Cameron, PhD. Thanks David. You are always a great source of information.

Following are the answers.
———————-
On snow and weather: I keep track of the weather for my own use, as my instruments are not sophisticated electronic ones but rather of the backyard type. Our total precipitation for 2008 was 99.915″ approximately: 20.21″ in our always-wettest month of November and 13.305″ for for December. Your results may vary, obviously. November is our normal flooding month in the western Cascades. Normally I forget to total the numbers at the end of the month and year, but Louise asked for an article she’s writing.

Index Avenue is 100′ wide, but that’s the exception and we’ve been told to include room for an anticipated railway branch line off the GN right-of-way up the north side of the North Fork Sky. It never was constructed, as the Index-Galena logging railroad went up the south side instead from its mill, also on the south side across the bridge. You can check the other street widths on the townsite plat map in Town Hall if interested.

On the Redmen’s Hall sorry collapse: The demolition company gave to the Index Historical Society a number of the floor joists, rather than hauling them off with the rest of the smashed up debris. They are 2″x12″ fir, most of them 26′ long, and in pretty good shape. Those of us who volunteered on very short notice to lug them off the street and through the snow for storage still are feeling the aches and pains — at least I am.

Bob Hubbard joked the next day that he was feeling “two inches shorter.”
So now the question is, what do we do with them that best will honor the memory of the missing hall?

Suggestions have ranged from creating new picnic tables to replace the rotted out ones on the museum grounds to constructing a stage in the park (perhaps) for arts festival performances to creating an outline of the building somewhere so that people can retain a feeling of how large it was. We really would like folks to share their thoughts and let the historical society members know. (They also can volunteer to pull nails!)

Photos: Flooding In Washington

The following photos were extracted from a PowerPoint Slide Show.  There aren’t any photos really from the local end, but they are interesting none the less.

01.18.09 – WE GOOFED!!!  We added even more photos today (13) courtesy of Heidi Ludwig.  I personally had them on my flash drive and forgot about them.  All of her photos were emailed to us and they are all of Snohomish.  Snohomish got hit pretty hard during the flooding (maybe not as bad as Pacific but it was bad).  Thank you Heidi for being one of our out of town reporters.

[Show as slideshow]

FYI On The Mudslide at Index

I was crusing the net a few minutes ago to see if there was anything new to report on the mudslide. I ran in to an interesting discussion that was turning into an argument.

Now, my wife and I have lived here only a bit over 5 years and we were outside visitors for 4-5 years before that (2-3 times a year for a few days at a time).

One of the comments I read state “You can always get out by the pit”, referring to the Reiter Pit. Alas, that is on Reiter Road.

For your “outsiders”, Reiter Road is on the North Fork of the Skykomish River. The mudslide was on the South Fork and would not be accessible via Reiter Road.

Just and FYI and a short explanation of how the roads run around here.

WOO HOO! Flood Warning ENDS For Snohomish

Finally!!! This will make our commute on 522 much easier. Parts of HWY 9 are now open also….relief is in sight.

THE FLOOD WARNING HAS ENDED FOR THE FOLLOWING RIVERS IN
WA.

SNOHOMISH RIVER AT SNOHOMISH AFFECTING SNOHOMISH COUNTY.
CHEHALIS RIVER NEAR GRAND MOUND AFFECTING THURSTON COUNTY.

Mudslide closes Mt. Index River Road

A mix of snow, mud and trees collapsed on Mt. Index River Road this morning, making U.S. 2 out of reach for about 100 people.

Officials have closed the road and are inspecting the slide, which occurred about 9 a.m., the Snohomish County executive’s spokesperson, Christopher Schwarzen, said. No injuries or damage to any homes was reported.

People earlier this afternoon could still pass on foot, but the road continued to slide into the south fork of the Skykomish River.

Sheriff’s deputies and fire officials were going door to door to notify people whose homes were affected. School buses were going to transport some residents to a Red Cross shelter in Monroe.

01.10.09 – Emergency.org

It looks like Snohomish got the brunt of the flooding this time through.  We don’t know how Index avoided it but WE ARE HAPPY.  Following is the latest Emergency.org report.
———–

THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE FOLLOWING RIVERS IN
WA.

SNOHOMISH RIVER NEAR MONROE AFFECTING SNOHOMISH COUNTY.
SNOHOMISH RIVER AT SNOHOMISH AFFECTING SNOHOMISH COUNTY.
SNOQUALMIE RIVER NEAR CARNATION AFFECTING KING COUNTY.
CEDAR RIVER NEAR LANDSBURG AFFECTING KING COUNTY.
CEDAR RIVER AT RENTON AFFECTING KING COUNTY.
CHEHALIS RIVER AT CNTLIA AFFECTING LEWIS COUNTY.
CHEHALIS RIVER NEAR GRAND MOUND AFFECTING THURSTON COUNTY.
CHEHALIS RIVER AT PORTER AFFECTING GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY.

FLOOD BULLETIN NO. 71

FLOODING WILL CONTINUE ON SEVERAL WESTERN WA RIVERS
TODAY.THOUGH MOST RIVERS ARE RECEDING GRADUALLY. THE WHITE RIVER
BELOW MUD MTN DAM WILL REMAIN NEARLY STEADY HOWEVER DUE TO
NECESSARY RELEASES FROM THE DAM.

ANOTHER PACIFIC FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA TODAY AND
TONIGHT.BRINGING ANOTHER ROUND OF WET WEATHER & HIGHER FREEZING
LEVELS. THIS ADDITIONAL RAINFALL IS NOT EXPECTED TO RENEW RIVER
FLOODING.BUT IT WILL SLOW THE RECESSION OF RESIDUAL FLOOD WATERS
THAT ALREADY COVER LOW LYING AREAS.& IT WILL PLACE FURTHER
DEMAND FOR HIGH RELEASES FROM DAMS ON THE WHITE & POSSIBLY GREEN
RIVERS. IT COULD ALSO RENEW THE THREAT OF LANDSLIDES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS.

DO NOT DRIVE CARS.TRUCKS.OR SUVS THROUGH FLOODED AREAS. THIS IS
THE CAUSE OF MOST FLOOD RELATED DEATHS IN WA. BE ALERT FOR
RAPID CHANGES & MONITOR DEVELOPMENTS BY LISTENING TO NOAA WEATHER
RADIO OR OTHER LOCAL MEDIA.

&&

WAC061-102107-
/O.EXT.KSEW.FL.W.0017.000000T0000Z-090110T2224Z/
/MROW1.3.ER.090107T2030Z.090109T0300Z.090110T1324Z.NO/
507 AM PST SAT JAN 10 2009

THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR
THE SNOHOMISH RIVER NEAR MONROE
* UNTIL THIS AFTERNOON.
* AT  4:00 AM SAT THE STAGE WAS 15.3 FEET.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 15.0 FEET.
* MINOR FLOODING IS OCCURRING.
* FORECAST.THE RIVER HAS CRESTED & WILL CONTINUE TO FALL TO BELOW
FLOOD STAGE THIS MORNING.
* IMPACT.AT 15.0 FEET.THE SNOHOMISH RIVER WILL CAUSE MINOR
FLOODING OF LOW PASTURE LANDS & SEVERAL ROADS NEAR THE RIVER. A
STAGE OF 15 FEET AT THIS LOCATION CORRESPONDS TO PHASE 2 IN THE
SNOHOMISH COUNTY FLOOD WARNING SYSTEM.

$$

WAC061-102107-
/O.CON.KSEW.FL.W.0028.000000T0000Z-090111T0822Z/
/SNAW1.3.ER.090107T1945Z.090109T0030Z.090110T2322Z.NR/
507 AM PST SAT JAN 10 2009

THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR
THE SNOHOMISH RIVER AT SNOHOMISH
* UNTIL LATE TONIGHT.
* AT  4:00 AM SAT THE STAGE WAS 28.0 FEET.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 25.0 FEET.
* MODERATE FLOODING IS OCCURRING. THE FORECAST IS FOR MODERATE
FLOODING.
* FORECAST.THE RIVER HAS CRESTED & WILL CONTINUE TO FALL TO BELOW
FLOOD STAGE LATE THIS AFTERNOON.
* IMPACT.AT 28.0 FEET.THE SNOHOMISH RIVER WILL FLOOD SEVERAL
ROADS.INCLUDING THE SNOHOMISH-MONROE HIGHWAY & RIVERVIEW
ROAD.& LOW AREAS OF THE LWR SNOHOMISH VALLEY THAT ARE NOT
PROTECTED BY LEVEES. A STAGE OF 28 FEET ON THE SNOHOMISH RIVER
CORRESPONDS TO A PHASE 3 IN THE SNOHOMISH COUNTY FLOOD PROGRAM.

$$

WAC033-102107-
/O.CON.KSEW.FL.W.0009.000000T0000Z-090110T2200Z/
/CRNW1.3.ER.090107T1526Z.090108T1500Z.090110T1102Z.NR/
507 AM PST SAT JAN 10 2009

THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR
THE SNOQUALMIE RIVER NEAR CARNATION
* UNTIL THIS AFTERNOON.
* AT  4:00 AM SAT THE STAGE WAS 53.8 FEET.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 54.0 FEET.
* FELL BELOW FLOOD STAGE EARLY THIS MORNING.
* FORECAST.THE RIVER FELL BELOW FLOOD STAGE AT  3 AM SATURDAY
& WILL CONTINUE TO FALL. FLOODING WILL CONTINUE IN SOME AREAS
UNTIL THE FLOOD WAVE HAS COMPLETELY PASSED DOWNSTREAM.
* IMPACT.AT 51.0 FEET.THE SNOQUALMIE RIVER WILL SPILL OVER ITS
BANKS FROM FALL CITY DOWNSTREAM THROUGH CARNATION & DUVALL.WITH
SHALLOW WATER OVER SOME FARM LAND & SEVERAL ROADS.

$$

WAC033-102106-
/O.CON.KSEW.FL.W.0018.000000T0000Z-000000T0000Z/
/LNDW1.3.ER.090108T0048Z.090108T1500Z.000000T0000Z.NO/
507 AM PST SAT JAN 10 2009

THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR
THE CEDAR RIVER NEAR LANDSBURG
* UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
* AT  4:00 AM SAT THE STAGE WAS 6.1 FEET.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 5.0 FEET.
* MODERATE FLOODING IS OCCURRING. THE FORECAST IS FOR MODERATE
FLOODING.
* FORECAST.THE RIVER HAS CRESTED & WILL CONTINUE TO FALL.
* IMPACT.AT 5.6 FEET.THE CEDAR RIVER WILL CAUSE FLOODING FROM
LANDSBURG DOWNSTREAM THROUGH MAPLEWOOD. SWIFT WATERS WILL FLOOD
ROADS & SOME RESIDENTIAL AREAS.ESPECIALLY IN MAPLE VALLEY.
FLOODING THREATENS BEYERS ROAD. A STAGE OF 5.6 FEET ON THE CEDAR
RIVER CORRESPONDS ROUGHLY TO A PHASE 4 FLOOD IN THE KING COUNTY
FLOOD SYSTEM.

$$

WAC033-102106-
/O.CON.KSEW.FL.W.0019.000000T0000Z-000000T0000Z/
/RNTW1.2.ER.090108T0026Z.090108T2300Z.000000T0000Z.NR/
507 AM PST SAT JAN 10 2009

THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR
THE CEDAR RIVER AT RENTON
* UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
* AT  4:00 AM SAT THE STAGE WAS 14.2 FEET.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 12.0 FEET.
* MINOR FLOODING IS OCCURRING. THE FORECAST IS FOR MINOR FLOODING.
* FORECAST.THE RIVER HAS CRESTED & WILL CONTINUE TO FALL.
* IMPACT.AT 12.0 FEET.THE CEDAR RIVER WILL CAUSE MINOR FLOODING
ALONG THE RIVER IN RENTON.

$$

WAC041-102106-
/O.CON.KSEW.FL.W.0031.000000T0000Z-090110T2130Z/
/CENW1.3.ER.090108T0907Z.090109T0300Z.090110T1130Z.NO/
507 AM PST SAT JAN 10 2009

THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR
THE CHEHALIS RIVER AT CNTLIA
* UNTIL THIS AFTERNOON.
* AT  4:00 AM SAT THE STAGE WAS 64.9 FEET.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 65.0 FEET.
* FELL BELOW FLOOD STAGE EARLY THIS MORNING.
* FORECAST.THE RIVER FELL BELOW FLOOD STAGE AT 3:30 AM SATURDAY
& WILL CONTINUE TO FALL. FLOODING WILL CONTINUE IN SOME AREAS
UNTIL THE FLOOD WAVE HAS COMPLETELY PASSED DOWNSTREAM.
* IMPACT.AT 63.0 FEET.THE CHEHALIS RIVER IN LEWIS COUNTY WILL
SPILL OVER ITS BANKS INTO NEARBY PASTURE LANDS AROUND CHEHALIS AND
CNTLIA.

$$

WAC067-102106-
/O.CON.KSEW.FL.W.0032.000000T0000Z-090111T0714Z/
/CGMW1.3.ER.090108T0457Z.090109T0730Z.090110T2214Z.NO/
507 AM PST SAT JAN 10 2009

THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR
THE CHEHALIS RIVER NEAR GRAND MOUND
* UNTIL THIS EVENING.
* AT  4:00 AM SAT THE STAGE WAS 15.6 FEET.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 14.0 FEET.
* MODERATE FLOODING IS OCCURRING. THE FORECAST IS FOR MINOR FLOODING.
* FORECAST.THE RIVER HAS CRESTED & WILL CONTINUE TO FALL TO BELOW
FLOOD STAGE EARLY THIS AFTERNOON.
* IMPACT.AT 15.5 FEET.THE CHEHALIS RIVER IN THURSTON COUNTY WILL
FLOOD SEVERAL ROADS IN INDEPENDENCE VALLEY WITH SWIFTLY MOVING
WATER INCLUDING SR-12 & JAMES.INDEPENDENCE.MOON & ANDERSON
ROADS. FLOOD WATERS WILL CUT OFF ACCESS TO & FROM CHEHALIS
RESERVATION & INUNDATE NEARBY FARM LANDS. SOME RESIDENTIAL
STRUCTURES MAY BE THREATENED.

$$

WAC027-102106-
/O.CON.KSEW.FL.W.0024.000000T0000Z-090112T1715Z/
/CRPW1.2.ER.090107T2030Z.090109T1900Z.090112T0815Z.NO/
507 AM PST SAT JAN 10 2009

THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR
THE CHEHALIS RIVER AT PORTER
* UNTIL MON MORNING.
* AT  3:00 AM SAT THE STAGE WAS 23.7 FEET.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 21.0 FEET.
* MODERATE FLOODING IS OCCURRING. THE FORECAST IS FOR MODERATE
FLOODING.
* FORECAST.THE RIVER HAS CRESTED & WILL CONTINUE TO FALL TO BELOW
FLOOD STAGE EARLY MON MORNING.
* IMPACT.AT 23.0 FEET.THE CHEHALIS RIVER IN GRAYS HARBOR
WILL FLOOD NUMEROUS FARMS & ROADS INCLUDING SR 12. HIGH TIDAL
LEVELS AT ABERDEEN WILL WORSEN FLOODING ALONG THE LWR REACHES.

$$

MCDONNAL
WEATHER.GOV/SEATTLE