WASHINGTON — A marginal risk for severe storms covered northwest Washington Saturday evening into tonight, a setup not often seen with cold fronts in the region. The Storm Prediction Center expanded the darker shaded risk area inland to include Forks, Port Angeles, Oak Harbor, Seattle, and Tacoma. Isolated wind gusts of up to 60 mph were possible as a narrow band of showers moved onshore with the cold front.
Marginal Risk Covers the Olympic Peninsula and Puget Sound
The marginal risk area stretched across the Olympic Peninsula, including Neah Bay, Clallam Bay, La Push, Forks, Queets, and Taholah. Coastal communities such as Pacific Beach, Copalis Beach, Aberdeen, and Westport were also included.
Farther east, the risk area covered much of the Puget Sound region, including Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Lacey, Renton, Shoreline, Lynnwood, and Mukilteo. Port Angeles, Oak Harbor, Anacortes, and Ferndale in northern Washington, along with Victoria in British Columbia, were also inside the risk zone.
Strong Winds Just Above the Ground Could Reach the Surface
A narrow band of showers with little lightning moved onshore Saturday evening along the cold front. Winds of 50 to 70 knots were present in the lowest 1 to 3 kilometers above the ground, creating a strong wind field just above the surface.
Instability was weak at about 100 to 200 J/kg, but downdrafts inside the showers could still bring some of the stronger winds down to the ground. Higher terrain had the best chance of seeing these stronger gusts, with isolated gusts of up to 60 mph possible.
Main Gust Window Runs From 6 PM to 9 PM
The main window for severe wind gusts ran from about 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, beginning along the coast and the Olympic Peninsula. The band of showers was then expected to reach the Interstate 5 corridor around 9 p.m. to 10 p.m…