High Winds Continue as Powerful Windstorm Hammers Rockies, Northern Plains (FORECAST)

Linda Lam
Published: November 18,2015
High wind warnings remain in effect for parts of the northern Plains, and wind gusts to 100 mph or more have already been reported in parts of Washington and Colorado as a potent low-pressure system whips up a huge zone of wind over the northwest and now north-central portion of the contiguous U.S.
(MORE: High Winds Turn Deadly in Washington)
On top of the winds, the Northwest region has also dealt with heavy rainfall in recent days, sending some rivers into major flood and may trigger landslides.

High Wind Event Spreads East

As an intensifying area of low pressure swings into central Canada, it will combine with the low-pressure system responsible for Winter Storm Ajax, yielding a powerful low over western Ontario and Hudson Bay.
High wind warnings continue for much of the Dakotas, while further east, less severe wind advisories are in effect.

Wind Advisories, Watches and Warnings

The winds have already caused considerable damage and major power outages in Washington state. Falling trees will continue to be a danger across western Washington, including the greater Seattle area, due to high winds and saturated soil.

Current Winds and Gusts

East of the Cascades, the high winds have generated areas of widespread blowing dust, forcing major road closures and damaging roofs in parts of central and eastern Washington.
High winds have also closed a stretch of Interstate 25 north of Cheyenne, Wyoming, to light, high-profile vehicles due to an "extreme risk of blowover", according to the Wyoming Department of Transportation.
At least two semis were reportedly blown over on I-25 south of Cheyenne Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Another truck was blown over on U.S. 85 northeast of Cheyenne. The wind was so strong, there, that part of a Wyoming DOT sensor was blown down.
Frequently wind-prone Interstate 80 between Cheyenne and Laramie was also closed to all traffic early Wednesday due to high winds and poor winter driving conditions.
Wind gusts over 90 mph were clocked in the foothills near Boulder and Golden, Colorado, including a peak gust of 102 mph, at the appropriately-located National Wind Technology Center near Rocky Flats.
Weather Underground blogger Bob Henson said in an email his home in Louisville, Colorado, was "groaning" from the high winds. "(I) don't have a reading, but subjectively, these are the strongest winds I recall in more than a decade here."

Peak Reported Wind Gusts

Some of the more impressive wind gust reports as of Wednesday morning include:

• 119 mph at White Pass (elevation 5,970 feet) in the Cascades west of Yakima, Washington.
• 116 mph at Mission Ridge Summit (elevation 6,370 feet) in the Cascades near Wenatchee, Washington.
• 115 mph at Rattlesnake Mountain (elevation 3,560 feet) in south-central Washington; sustained winds hit 96 mph around sunset.
• 107 mph at Crystal Summit, just northeast of Mount Rainier in Washington.
• 102 mph at the National Wind Technology Center near Rocky Flats, Colorado.
• 101 mph on Schweitzer Mountain in far northern Idaho.
• 98 mph at Sedge Ridge in western Yakima County, Washington.
• 94 mph at the NCAR Mesa Lab on the south side of Boulder, Colorado.
• 90 mph at Three Corner Rock in south-central Washington.
• 89 mph at Emkay, about 14 miles west-southwest of Cheyenne, Wyoming.
• 86 mph on Naselle Ridge in southwest Washington.
• 86 mph on Mount Hebo (elevation 3,160 feet) in the Coast Range of western Oregon.
• 84 mph at Bordeaux, Wyoming, north of Cheyenne
• 76 mph at Kahlotus, a small farming town in southeast Washington (elevation 1,230 feet)
• 72 mph at Rawlins in south-central Wyoming

In eastern Washington, Spokane International Airport gusted to 71 mph shortly before 4 p.m. Tuesday. The National Weather Service said that was the strongest non-thunderstorm wind gust ever recorded at that location.
High winds have also battered western Montana already, with gusts to 80 mph reported in and near Glacier National Park Tuesday.
Wednesday's strongest winds impacted the northern Rockies to northern Plains, with numerous gusts over 50 mph. Winds speeds reached as high as 68 mph at Carrington Airport in North Dakota.
Through the first part of Thursday, the strongest winds will impact the northern Plains into portions of the Upper Midwest. While not as strong as previous days, wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph are possible from the Dakotas into parts of Minnesota and Iowa.

Flooding a Receding Threat

The heaviest rain is long since over, but some residual river flooding continued through much of the day on Wednesday in Washington. This recent heavy rain is also likely to raise the risk of landslides in the region, even though the flooding threat is largely finished.
(MAPS: Interactive Radar)

Flood Alerts

Nearly a Foot of Rain Reported

According to the National Weather Service, widespread rainfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches with local totals of 9 to 11 inches have already been recorded in the mountains of western Washington in the three days ending Sunday. In the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, rainfall in the Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia corridor has been lighter. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport saw 4.45 inches of rain Thursday through Sunday.
Rivers swelled above flood stage in western Washington thanks to this deluge, with the worst flooding occurring north and northeast of Seattle.
The Skykomish River in Snohomish County near Gold Bar crested at its third highest level on record late Tuesday, over 7 feet above flood stage, the highest level since the record-setting November 2006 flood.
Flood waters swamped the town of Sultan, about six miles downstream from Gold Bar, Tuesday night, prompting of a rescue of one woman forced to climb out her front window, according to King5.com.
(INTERACTIVE: NWS Flood Alerts)

The Snohomish River at Monroe, seven miles west of Sultan, was rising to a crest Wednesday morning just over five feet above flood stage, with flooded homes, roads and farmlands expected to be flooded. The National Weather Service in Seattle. River levels of 31 feet at Snohomish could overtop levees, with major levee damage possible, according to the NWS.
Flooding along the Stillaguamish River near Arlington prompted a shutdown of state route 530 east of the city, and flooded several homes. The river crested at its highest level in almost five years Tuesday, 6.5 feet above flood stage.
(MORE: Thousands Lose Power, Flooding Reported)
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