Monday, November 16, 2009

US Highway 101 Flooding South of Seaside

We just received a flash alert from ODOT that there is 10 inches of water on the US 101 highway, just south of Seaside.

http://www.tripcheck.com/popups/Cam.asp?camera=652&curRegion=1

You can check road conditions for other areas of Oregon at http://www.tripcheck.com/Pages/RCmap.asp?curRegion=0&mainNav=RoadConditions

UPDATE (5:04 PM): US 101 is now closed south of Seaside. Crews report more than 1 foot of water covering the road.

Elevated Weather Alerts for Oregon

Today the National Weather Service has elevated the weather alerts for the incoming storm. There are more than a dozen alerts, and you can see them at http://www.weather.gov/alerts-beta/or.php?x=1

Here are the highlights:

▪ Surf advisory with breaker heights as high as 25-28 feet. Storm surge combined with the near-maximum lunar high tide will cause beach erosion and riptides farther inland then normal.
▪ Coastal winds 45-55MPH with gusts up to 85 MPH. Winds have already been reported to 80+MPH in certain areas.
▪ Inland winds are expected to be 25-35 MPH with gusts up to 45 MPH.
▪ Rainfall of 3-5 inches in northwest Oregon near the Willapa hills and North Oregon Coast Range.
▪ The Nehalem River is under flood watch, as well as urban streams in the northwest corner of Oregon.
▪ Oregon Coast is under flood watch due to heavy rains

Coastal Storm / High Wind Warning

The National Weather Service has issued warnings for the Oregon coast, cascades, and eastern Oregon. Winds are expected to gust up to 40 MPH, with gusts up to 60 MPH on Monday night. The following warning covers the Oregon coast-line:

HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 10 AM PST TUESDAY FOR THE SOUTH WASHINGTON AND NORTH OREGON COAST... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PORTLAND HAS ISSUED A HIGH WIND WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 10 AM PST TUESDAY MORNING. THE HIGH WIND WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. DISTURBANCES MOVING ALONG A NEARLY STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY OFFSHORE WILL ALLOW SOUTH WINDS TO PICK UP AT TIMES TONIGHT AND MONDAY. THE FIRST ROUND OF STRONGER WINDS WILL ARRIVE LATER TONIGHT...WITH ANOTHER ROUND EXPECTED EARLY MONDAY AFTERNOON. LATER THIS EVENING...SOUTH WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN TO 25 TO 40 MPH...WITH 35 TO 45 MPH ON THE OPEN BEACHES AND HEADLANDS. WINDS GUSTS OF 50 TO 60 MPH ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT AND MONDAY...WITH GUSTS OF 65 TO 80 MPH ON THE OPEN BEACHES AND HEADLANDS. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL STRIKE THE NORTH OREGON AND SOUTH WASHINGTON COAST MONDAY NIGHT. A VERY DEEP LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP OFFSHORE LATE MONDAY...AND PASS OFFSHORE OF THE NORTH OREGON COAST MONDAY EVENING AS IT MOVES TOWARDS BRITISH COLUMBIA. THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ONSHORE LATE MONDAY NIGHT. EXPECT SOUTH WINDS TO INCREASE AGAIN MONDAY EVENING...WITH SUSTAINED SOUTH WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...AND GUSTS OF 65 TO 80 MPH. HOWEVER...ON THE OPEN BEACHES AND HEADLANDS...SUSTAINED WINDS OF 50 TO 60 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 85 TO 95 MPH ARE LIKELY. WINDS WILL EASE EARLY TUESDAY MORNING AS THE LOW PRESSURE MOVES FURTHER AWAY FROM THE REGION.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A HIGH WIND WARNING MEANS A HAZARDOUS HIGH WIND EVENT IS EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF AT LEAST 40 MPH OR GUSTS OF 58 MPH OR MORE CAN LEAD TO PROPERTY DAMAGE.

There is a wind / weather watch over the Cascades and Eastern Oregon, as temperatures drop and the cold air moves through. There is a possibility of light freezing rain. Here is the alert:

THIS WILL PRODUCE BREEZY CONDITIONS FOR THE AREA THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON. AN UPPER TROUGH WILL CONTINUE TO DIG SOUTH TOWARDS THE EASTERN PACIFIC THROUGH TONIGHT. STRONG SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL KEEP SKIES MOSTLY CLOUDY. MEANWHILE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE WEST OF THE CASCADES. THIS MOISTURE WILL AFFECT THE CASCADE CREST REGION AND THE CASCADE EAST SLOPES...ESPECIALLY IN WASHINGTON THROUGH TONIGHT. SNOW LEVELS WILL RISE TONIGHT...EXPECTING RAIN TO BECOME THE MAIN TYPE OF PRECIPITATION. HOWEVER...THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF SOME LOCAL LIGHT FREEZING RAIN IF COLD AIR REMAINS TRAPPED IN SOME VALLEYS.