Beach Drive Blog

First snow and ice. What's next? WIND with High Tides

This morning the snow is melting and Beach Drive around Jacobson seems clear, wet and slushy.  

 

What's next? Why strong winds, of course!

NWS for West Seattle area:

Today: Occasional snow and freezing drizzle before 10am, then rain. Snow level 200 feet rising to 3700 feet. High near 40. East northeast wind 6 to 11 mph becoming south southeast. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. 

Tonight: Rain. Low around 40. Southeast wind around 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Saturday: Showers likely, mainly before 10am. Cloudy, with a high near 46. Windy, with a southwest wind between 21 and 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. Southwest wind between 11 and 14 mph. 

Sunday: Rain. High near 45. South southeast wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90% 

City of Seattle and vincinity:

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING...

TODAY...OCCASIONAL LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE OR SNOW IN THE MORNING...THEN RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON. NO SNOW ACCUMULATION. ADDITIONAL ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF A TENTH OF INCH OR LESS. HIGHS NEAR 40. LIGHT WIND BECOMING SOUTHEAST 10 TO 20 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT...BECOMING WINDY...RAIN. LOWS NEAR 40. SOUTHEAST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH BECOMING SOUTH 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH LATE.

SATURDAY...WINDY. RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN CLOUDY WITH SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS IN THE 40S. SOUTHWEST WIND 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH.

SATURDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS. LOWS IN THE MID 30S TO LOWER 40S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH.

SUNDAY...RAIN. HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MID 40S. SOUTHEAST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH.

SUNDAY NIGHT...RAIN. LOWS IN THE MID TO UPPER 30S.

Puget Sound Marine Forecast:

...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON PST TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON...

TODAY...NE WIND 5 TO 10 KT...BECOMING SE AND RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT...BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. RAIN.

TONIGHT...SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT...BECOMING S 20 TO 30 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 5 FT. RAIN.

SAT...SW WIND 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE MORNING...THEN RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.

SAT NIGHT...S WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT.

SUN...SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT.

SUN NIGHT...S WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT.

MON...S WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT.

Seattle area tides: 

Friday, January 20:

• 1:27 pm at 11.4 
• 8:42 pm at  -1.8 

Saturday, January 21:

• 4:30 am at 11.9
• 9:37 am at 7.4
• 2:25 pm at 11.3
• 9:30 pm at -2.0

Sunday, January 22;

• 5:08 am at 12.3
• 10:28 am at 6.9
• 3:20 pm at 11.2
• 10:14 pm at -1.9

Still reading? Here are some photos from a walk Scupper and I took yesterday in the snow along Beach Drive. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orcas off Beach Drive

We were away from home when this pod swam by Mee Kwa Mooks towards Alki.

Just learned about this via Lisa Wallace Baker on Facebook - thanks, Lisa!

Did you see the Orcas?

King Tides

This week we have some very high tides, including "King Tides" taking place December 27 - 29.  The Department of Ecology invites you to document the king tides with photographs; here's how. There are serveral public beaches along beach drive were you can witness these high tides.

Here are the highs (and lows) for this week:

Monday, Dec. 26: 

• 6:41 am: 12.82
• 12:13 pm: 8.86
• 5:00 pm: 10.85
• 11.54: -2.12 

Tuesday, Dec. 27:

• 7:17 am: 12.78
• 1:03 pm: 6.32
• 5:53 pm: 10.02

Wednesday, Dec. 28:

• 12:37 am: -1.12
• 7:52 am: 12.66
• 1:54 pm: 5.71
• 6:49 pm: 9.46

Thursday, Dec. 29: 

• 1:19 am: 0.19
• 8:26 am: 12.48 
• 2:47 pm: 5.05
• 7:50 pm: 8.71

Friday, Dec. 30

• 2:01 am: 1.66
• 9:00 am: 12.24
• 3:40 pm: 4.34
• 8:59 pm: 8.08

 

 

 

 

The University of Washington research vessel named the Thomas G Thompson has been a spotted as a regular these days off off Blake Island.

I'm guessing that they are testing the local waters beyond the out-going currents of Rich Passage where several Atlantic Salmon farming pens are located.  Their website isn't revealing what they've been up to recently but a potential break out of Salmon Anemia in Puget Sound must have their attention.  Monday was so beautiful out that I ventured over in the Beach Drive Blog zodiac to check out the operations.  Enjoy!

 

 Scupper, reporting for Beach Drive Blog

 

Gill Netters set for Fall salmon runs

Starting to see the "net set" working the waters off of Beach Drive. A local resident we'll refer to as Mr. Green Horn hitched a ride Wednesday as a go-fer-boy and mentioned none of the boats are having great catches yet, "the Chums still don't seem to be all that plentiful right now".

Scupper, roporting for Beach Drive Blog

Justin: the Day After and Wrap Up

After two days of looking out our windows and watching the events unfold of salvaging Justin, the WWII vessel that was being used to assist with building a new bulkhead off of Beach Drive, it seemed refreshingly calm to only have this scene this morning.

We did wake up to flyovers from the Coast Guard to survey the area.

It didn't take too long for crews to show up to start salvaging items from the floor of Puget Sound.

It also appears that some patch repairs are being done to the vessel above (which had water pumped from it from damage this weekend).  Note the diver on the smaller boat.

It looks like this anchor pole is being removed, possibly for repairs.

Update 9:40 am October 17, 11:  More photos from Scupper showing the main barge that Justin was tied to showing the patch repair.

 

If you'd like to see all the photos that Scupper and I captured of this event, you're welcome to check them out on our Flickr page by clicking here.

Just In: Justin

Update 9:30 am, October 16, 2011: We've added a couple more of our favorite photos.  We'll be posting a collection of our "Justin" photos from the past few days soon.

Scupper shivered his timbers capturing some great photos of the salvaging of the once sunk vessel off Beach Drive, Justin.

Because it's late and we typically don't blog as late as West Seattle Blog, we're going to share a few photos tonight and we'll update this tomorrow morning with more.  Scupper took over 100 shots after nightfall alone and we want to select and share what we think are the best. 

Here's a preview.

Justin is enroute to Tacoma per employees of Waterfront Construction.

Good news, Scupper found the owner of the hard hat that he found floating in the Sound.  Hat and head will be reunited soon.

Watch for this post to be updated tomorrow!

Raising Justin: the Sunken Vessel off of Beach Drive

Justin is the 75 foot vessel that sank yesterday off the shores of Beach Drive causing a fuel spill in the waters of Puget Sound.  It's a WWII style landing craft that was being used to carry boulders and material back and forth for construction of a bulkhead for a home located around the 5400 block of Beach Drive.  We have our coverage, including photos and video posted here.  We will be updating this post throughout the day.  If you have photos, videos or tips you would like to share, please contact us!

This morning, they are preparing the raise Justin.

Throughout the night, the area was patrolled by the Coast Guard with their blue lights flashing.  During the wee hours, a new barge with a crane has joined this attempt to fix the "Beach Drive Bulkhead Blunder".  Helicopters are already flying over this morning.

Tides just passed the first high tide of 10.09 at 8:08 this morning and will be slightly heading down to a low of 6.53 at 1:43 pm followed by the next high of 9.83 at 6:43 pm.  At 1:40 am tomorrow, the tide will be at a low -0.64.  According to various weather reports, it should be a crisp, sunny day following some morning fog.  The tides and weather appear to be in Justin's favor.

9:30 am update:  The large crane is being positioned and there is a diver(s) in the water.

9:50 am update:  we've noticed sheen from the fuel spill up to the shores of the 4700 block of Beach Drive (by Emma Schmitz Memorial Viewpoint).

West Seattle Blog's continuing coverage is here. and...

West Seattle Herald's continuing coverage is here.

10:20 am update:  Scuppers notes that the cable that has been connected (to Justin?) has not budged in the last hour (watch the red diamond in the center of the photo).

Scupper is heading out in the BDB Zodiak to investigate how far north the fuel sheen has spread.

Update 10:30 am: the cable just pulled up something - not sure if it's a metal part from Justin, possibly a piece of it's railing?

Update 11:25 am:  Scupper has returned with video showing a thicker slick north of Emma Schmitz View Point (4600 Beach Drive).  We wish the media could get a shot from the air to show the current extent of the fuel slick.

A seal pops up to check out the seen.

2:10pm update: We can see Justin!

Crew has rigged up new larger strap.

 

Update 4:30 pm: the crew has rigged two harnesses around Justin and making adjustments, preparing to raise the sunken vessel.

The sunset will be around 6:202 tonight with the tide heading back down at 6:45pm.

5:37 pm update:  We're seeing more of what appears to be Justin's cabin.

6:00 pm update: more photos of Justin as the vessel continues to be lifted from Puget Sound and of the Coast Guard helicopter that has been circling overhead.

7:15 pm update... more photos compliments of Scupper.

Click here for more night photos and the final stages of salvaging the sunk vessel, Justin.

Water Rescue at Emma Schmitz Memorial View Point

A woman was successfully rescued from the waters across the street from Mee Kwa Mooks Park just after at 10:00 this morning. 

Update 11:08 am:  West Seattle Blog reports the woman, in her 30s, has been taken to Harborview Hospital with possible hypothermia.

High Tides this Week

We have some very high tides this week, includng an 11.92 at 5:14 tonight.  Here are the high tides for the rest of the week:

Wednesday, Sept 28: 11.46 ft at 5:08 am and 12.05 ft at 5:48 pm.

Thursday, Sept 29: 11.62 at 6:59 am and 11.95 at 6:25 pm.

Friday, Sept 30: 11.57 at 7:57 am and 11.61 at 7:06 pm.

Saturday, Oct 1:  11.33 at 8:58 am and 11.03 at 7:52 pm.