Airports from Northern California to Seattle braced for what the National Weather Service described as a "rapidly intensifying surface low" moving toward the region. [Courtesy: Meg Godlewski]
Key Takeaways:
The Pacific Northwest is bracing for a severe "bomb cyclone" storm, a rapidly intensifying low-pressure system predicted to be stronger than the deadly 1962 Columbus Day storm.
Forecasts include widespread wind gusts of 60-70 mph from California to western Washington, over 10 inches of rain in Northern California/southern Oregon, and blizzard conditions in mountain ranges.
Airports across the region are taking extensive precautions, such as securing outdoor objects, charging devices, and moving aircraft into hangars to protect them from the severe winds.
Aviation businesses, like those in Pierce County, Washington, are collaborating to safely store or securely tie down aircraft in preparation for the storm's arrival.
“Secure outdoor objects, charge your devices, and get everything in the hangar that will fit.”
The directive—or a variation of it—was uttered a lot at airports from Northern California to Seattle on Tuesday as the region braced for what the National Weather Service (NWS) described as a “rapidly intensifying surface low” moving toward the Pacific Northwest.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
