Seattle Windstorms (Bellevue, Redmond, Auburn: houses, neighborhood, camp)

[obsidian97]

Watching Houston getting pounded by Ike got me to wondering about the windstorms around here.

I know we get them, but I've not been through one yet. Just the same, I do have a generator plug on the side of the house just in case.

I found a few links I thought others might find interesting:

Seattle's Biggest Windstorms:
Seattle's Biggest Storms 1962-2002 (http://www.ocs.orst.edu/storm_king_site/SeattleBigStorms.html - broken link)

What makes a Western Washington windstorm?:
What makes a Western Washington windstorm? | KOMO News - Seattle, Washington | F.A.Q.

[Pittgal]

December of 2006 -ugh no power for 5 days in Issaquah! Last year was no where as bad, hopefully this year will be even better!

[70Ford]

Originally Posted by Pittgal

December of 2006 -ugh no power for 5 days in Issaquah! Last year was no where as bad, hopefully this year will be even better!

I cooked soup for my dinner (multiple days) in my fireplace in 2006. True story. Albertson's gave away all their frozen food that week. Scored a turkey. It became turkey soup, HA HA HA!
I worked/ate/slept by candle light. Actually (edit) that is a lie. I worked/ate/slept by oil lamp. That is putting cooking oil in a bowl and setting a twisted paper towel in the bowl (as a wick) and lighting said wick and thinking....wonder who else knows how to make an oil lamp........

Auburn had power, though...(Where I worked.....had showers, too....'cuz they have a gym insiide. Heck, they had washing machines. Then again, it was an FAA building.)

If you're mobile....big woop. Just keep traveling until you find power.

[MaikeerinWA]

We were lucky in 2006. We never lost power in our neighborhood.

It was sad how many carbon monoxide inhalation deaths there were in the area, not to mention illnesses, as a result of the cold and loss of power. People brought charcoal grills, generators and other devices inside for cooking and heating, to bad effect.

[tada]

Hanukkah Eve Wind Storm of 2006 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pretty much all of downtown Issaquah was without power too.

[CarolinaCowboy]

I lived in the downtown area, (just north) for 22 years. The biggest storms we have are freezing rain and sleet that freezes the streets and makes them into ice skating rinks. All in all, Seattle winters are fairy mild. It's the 300 days per year of clouds and rain that finally got me to move.

[Botev1912]

Originally Posted by CarolinaCowboy

It's the 300 days per year of clouds and rain that finally got me to move.

no. There are 365 days per year of clouds and rain. Seattle never has sunshine and the rain never stops.

[tortoisegirl]

What can/should we do to prepare? We don't have the money for a generator, but I'm assuming in winter it may be worthwhile to not fully stock the freezer, and to keep wood for our wood-burning fireplace on hand.

[seattlerain]

Originally Posted by tortoisegirl

What can/should we do to prepare? We don't have the money for a generator, but I'm assuming in winter it may be worthwhile to not fully stock the freezer, and to keep wood for our wood-burning fireplace on hand.

Usually our power outages do not last that long. These huge windstorms are the exception, and they do not happen every year.

I'm not sure what part of the area you live in, but some areas never seem to have problems with power outages, other areas like parts of Bellevue, Redmond, Issaquah, and Woodinville power outages of varying duration, (usually no more than a few hours) are not uncommon.

Here in the Duvall area power outages in the fall and winter are almost a given, I honestly do not remember a fall/winter when we did not have a power outage, however the vast majority of them will last only a few hours.

Keep a supply of flashlights, fresh batteries, firewood, canned soup, etc, and don't rely on candles. Every year there are reports of houses going up in flames during power outages caused by candles being left unattended. Other items include a battery-operated radio, and a non-cordless telephone, and camp stoves can come in handy to heat canned foods, and hot water. A couple of thermoses, or one of those pump pots come in handy too. Just remember not to use the camp stove indoors.

As for your freezer, it will actually be better if it is fairly full, as this will help keep things frozen for several days if you keep it closed.

[tada]

Originally Posted by Botev1912

no. There are 365 days per year of clouds and rain. Seattle never has sunshine and the rain never stops.

No, there are 478 days per year of clouds and rain. Some days are so cloudy they should count as two.