How Strong Were the Winds?

Coverage of yesterday’s arctic blast on the Kitsap Sun web site has attracted hundreds of reader comments. Most describe problems encountered while commuting over the county’s icy roads or how people coped when the power went out last night. No one mentioned the hardship I will remember longest about the storm: more than 12 hours of frigid almost-continuous gale-force winds from the north. The photo shows one casualty of the gale.

The boat in the photo is normally anchored out in Dyes Inlet, well offshore from Rocky Point, perhaps 150 yards from land. Several boat owners have buoys nearby so often there’s a small fleet of sailboats moored there. Last night the group was reduced by one. Of course, that doesn’t translate directly to wind speed. It just means the wind was strong enough to rip a big boat from its mooring and deposit it on the shore. Since strong winds frequently blow the length of Dyes Inlet from the north and the boat has been there for years, last night’s gusts had to be exceptional.

OK, interesting photo although I didn’t have a boat in this storm. But I did have a house, one with view windows that face north. From yesterday afternoon until early this morning, the house and those windows took a constant buffeting. Inside the noise never let up. I needed earplugs to get to sleep. There was a continuous rattling of windows, screens, walls, and perhaps even the siding and roof. At times the whole house seemed to shake. It was like a disaster movie when the special effects get out of control. I kept wondering what my homeowner’s insurance policy says about wind damage. Fortunately I didn’t find any when I inspected the exterior this morning.

Rocky Point lost power for the second time about 8:45 PM last night. Power also went out for a couple of minutes during dinner. The second time, though, I knew it would be out at least until morning and went to bed. With no opposition from a furnace that was down for the count, cold air from the frigid winds, which was blowing in around the windows and sliding glass doors, quickly got the upper hand. I used six layers of covers plus one cat to stay warm. By morning the temperature in the house was down to 40 degrees.

Descriptions of a wind-buffeted house and frigid indoor temperatures aren’t a metric. They don’t provide a measurement of how strong the winds were. The only one I have is that their strength and duration left a memory that will last for years.