SEATTLE — More potentially dangerous weather is heading toward Washington state Wednesday as the National Weather Service (NWS) warns of a possible brief tornado along the coast with “damaging wind gusts” this afternoon.
There is a slight chance that wind gusts be over 70 mph along the Washington coast down to northern California, according to the NWS Storm Prediction Center.
The NWS said the coast could also see small hail and lighting during the day as a cold front pushes into the state Wednesday afternoon, bringing more precipitation.
According to a severe weather outlook map from NWS, the entire western coast into northwest Oregon has a “marginal” chance for severe weather. Most of the Olympic Peninsula has a chance for thunderstorms, as well.
The tornado threat becomes stronger as the cold front moves south into the evening, the NWS said. The highest threat level overall will be along the Oregon coast.
Tornadoes in western Washington, while extraordinary, are nothing new.
In November, the NWS issued and then canceled a Tornado Warning for east central Kitsap County. Before that in September, a “weak” tornado was spotted in the southwest Washington town of Battle Ground.
In addition to the potentially severe weather on the coast, from 7-10 a.m., the NWS also issued a coastal flood advisory along Puget Sound and into the San Juan Islands. Minor tidal overflow is possible with the chance for it to happen again Thursday and Friday mornings.
The NWS has issued a Winter Storm Warning through Thursday afternoon for areas of western Washington above 3,000 feet with heavy snow expected in the Cascade mountains and the valleys of Snohomish and King counties, including Skykomish, Stevens Pass and Snoqualmie Pass.
Lowlands around the region also have a chance for 4 inches or so of snow over the Christmas weekend into early next week.
