Cliff Mass warns of second strong wind storm Friday, with a caveat

On By Littum

As local residents are still recovering from this week’s “bomb cyclone” windstorm, many still without power, Cliff Mass, an atmospheric science professor at the University of Washington, says we’re in for another powerful windstorm. Like Tuesday evening, the wind will be localized and the wind will be easterly. But there is an important difference.

“It’s going to be a cyclone. It’s going to be a strong one, but it’s not going to be a bomb cyclone. All it means is that it’s not going to accelerate to some extent,” Mass explained to “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.

Compared to the bomb cyclone on Tuesday night, it will be weaker. But that doesn’t mean it will be weak. And there is one area it actually will be stronger than the bomb cyclone.

“It starts tomorrow morning with strong winds along the foothills again. So it’s going to be kind of a repeat, but a much weaker repeat than we had last time. So places like Enumclaw and Black Diamond and North Bend going out toward Renton and SeaTac, the wind is going to pick up and they’re going to get gusty, 30-40 miles an hour, so you know, it’s going to be a little bit more of that wind tomorrow morning,” explained Mass.

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Where in Washington will the storm be hardest?

Mass says forecasts show the storm hitting Washington in two phases. The easterly winds will begin “down the slope of the Cascades, so these foothill communities will catch wind.” But at noon they die out. Then winds along the coast will hit hard.

“In central Puget Sound, it won’t be so bad. But later in the afternoon, early evening, as the low gets close, and this low will be much closer, but it’s much weaker, the winds will really pick up along the coast. And we’re talking 50 to 70 miles per hour. So it will actually be stronger than last time,” warned Mass.

‘Massive Devastation:’ Hundreds of thousands are still without power after the storm in Washington

Tacoma, Seattle and Everett will be spared the stronger winds, but Mass expects it to hover around 30 miles per hour. But it won’t be big enough to cause a lot of damage.

“I think the main problem is damage along the coast and wind and power outages along the coast. That will be the main aspect of this storm,” Mass concluded.

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