Expect a breezy day Thursday as a fierce storm heads toward Western Washington, bringing strong wind and heavy rain, along with the possibility of power outages and urban flooding in a one-two punch.
Meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Seattle warned about the approaching storm in an online “significant weather briefing” Tuesday afternoon.
“South winds will increase Thursday morning and peak Thursday afternoon into Friday. Winds will be strongest along the coast, as well as across Whidbey Island, the San Juan Islands, and western Whatcom and Skagit counties,” the National Weather Service said.
Winds gusting at 40-45 mph were forecast for Thursday night and Friday. There was a 10% chance of winds gusting to 60 mph in western Whatcom County and a 10% chance of gusts around 25 mph.
A gale warning was in effect through Friday for the waters around the San Juan Islands, along with a heavy surf advisory for possible storm surge in coastal Whatcom County.
A gale watch is in effect for Saturday, as a second round of gusty wind and heavy rain was expected to hit early Saturday and last into Saturday night.
No other weather alerts were issued, but winds that strong can cause tree limbs to fall, resulting in scattered power outages.
The forecast also includes heavy rain, with up to an inch possible in the lowlands through Friday, and another inch of rain Saturday through Sunday.
“This will produce some sharp rises on rivers, but river flooding is not expected. The primary impacts will be localized urban and small stream flooding as well as areas with poor drainage. In addition, windy conditions are expected in coastal areas and north Interior,” the weather service said.
Snow was forecast for the mountains, with snow levels around 2,500 to 3,000 feet on Friday. Snow was expected in the range of 1 to 2 feet across the Mount Baker region.
This story was originally published October 22, 2025 at 12:55 PM.
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Robert Mittendorf
The Bellingham Herald
Robert Mittendorf covers civic issues, weather, traffic and how people are coping with the high cost of housing for The Bellingham Herald. A journalist since 1984, he’s also a volunteer firefighter for South Whatcom Fire Authority.
