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Storms in the Puget Sound
Battered beach houses at the bottom of Magnolia Bluff. Here in the Northwest we are blessed with generally fine weather (albeit wet). However, once in a while, a good storm rolls through the area. In recent years, the media has capitalized on these events of nature by turning them into full-blown media-frenzies. I mean, why worry about quality programming when you can over-report and over-market a good old fashioned natural disaster. And as anyone in marketing knows, you need a good trademark for something if you are going to market the hell out of it.
The first big-hype storm I remember was the so-called Artic Blast. This storm must have happened in the late '80s because I know I was finishing up college at the time. To a sailor from the Northwest this storm was unusual in that it blew from the north. And blow it did! Huge breaking waves rolled down to Three Tree Point from Whidbey Island and broke on our beach. Those same waves pulled over two feet of sand off the beach and collapsed dozens of bulkheads. I have never again seen waves in the Puget Sound like those Artic Blast waves.
If you are a republican, January 20, 1993 was not a good day. But, but, the day does have some redeeming historical value. On January 20, the so-dubbed Inaugural Day Windstorm blew through the Northwest. This SOB came in from the more typical south. The storm was remarkable in that it was really, really windy for a pretty short period of time. In addition, the storm hit the area with the speed and force of a freight train. It was like a Ferrari. It went from zero to 60+ knots in under 5 seconds. The powers that be cancelled work, which made up for the inauguration . Southerly storm crashing into the south side of Magnolia Bluff. Elliott Bay Marina and Seattle in background.
Then came Windstorm 95, the letdown of all storms. I am sure Microsoft's lawsuit-happy IP legal department had a heyday suing all the networks over trademark infringements on that one. I think the entire city had been blindsided by the legitimately nasty Inaugural Day storm two years before, and were on full alert. I don't remember how hard Windbag 95 blew, but I do remember it was pretty lame. Our house was left with an unopened emergency flashlight and unlit duraflame fire-log.
Since Windstorm 95, there have been a few storms, none very memorable. The pictures you see here on these pages were taken in the biggest storm of 1999. I think the networks gave it a name, but whatever it was, it never stuck. That's probably because as storms go, it kinda sucked. I think it gusted to 60 knots in places, but that was the exception, not the rule.








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Storms in the Puget Sound was written by Tim Whelan.
All pictures and text ©Tim Whelan 1999 and 2000.
For useage, please see my copyright notice.