By Tom Callis and by The Associated Press
The National Weather Service warned today that bitterly cold temperatures will grip the North Olympic Peninsula for much of this week as Arctic air blasts into the region from Canada.
It could be the longest and coldest cold snap in nearly two decades.
Temperatures on the Peninsula could drop into the teens, with highs only in the 20s.
Jay Albrecht, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle, said the amount of moisture in the air was decreasing, reducing the chance of additional snow, and any accumulations were forecast to be scattered and light.
The Weather Service said the Peninsula could stay below freezing for the next seven days. Albrecht said the last streak lasting six days was in December 1990.
EARLIER REPORT:
High winds and restless seas battered North Olympic Peninsula shores, primarily on the West End, on Friday and Saturday.
As snow flurries blew on and off in Forks, Port Angeles and Sequim on Saturday — with a cold but otherwise uneventful day reported in Port Townsend — the National Weather Service predicted sub-freezing temperatures until Wednesday, when more snow and rain are expected.
On Friday, a funeral party at the Quileute Community Center in LaPush was evacuated from the building, and the Quillayute River bar remained closed to vessels because of wind that reached 69 mph.
Ferry runs from Port Townsend to Keystone were canceled Friday night because of high winds and heavy seas.
Also on Friday, fallen trees caused power outages around Forks as well as lane closures on U.S. Highway 101 between Mileposts 161 and 163 in west Jefferson County and state Highway 110 on the way to LaPush.
High winds in Forks also blew a window out of the Chinook Pharmacy.
Although the wind was calm on Saturday, high waves flooded Ediz Hook near the Coast Guard Group/Air Station Port Angeles base, leaving large rocks and logs behind, and causing Port Angeles police to close the spit to vehicles and pedestrians from 1 p.m. to about 5:45 p.m.
The highest wind was reported Friday at 70 mph on Destruction Island off the coast of West Jefferson County. Tatoosh Island off Cape Flattery received 40 mph winds, and Port Townsend reported gusts of at least 38 mph.
Big waves
Johnny Berg, National Weather Service meteorologist, said the waves at Ediz Hook were likely caused by high winds coming from the Fraser Valley in Whatcom County.
Although the wind didn’t reach Port Angeles on Saturday, the energy created by it did, causing the waves to breach the break wall, he said.
The Coast Guard station received some flooding from the surge, but there was no structural damage to any of the buildings, said Petty Officer Pete Williams.
Most of the flooding occurred near the Coast Guard station, which is located at the end of Ediz Hook.
Williams said the water began to subside after high tide at 12:48 p.m.
On Saturday afternoon, city of Port Angeles utility worker Ian McCaleb said he expected that it would take city road crews six to seven hours to clear the road.
“We got a good amount of work ahead of us,” he said.
The high surf attracted a few onlookers who stood just to the north of the Nippon paper mill until they were told to leave by police.
“I had to come down to see it,” said John Wedzicha, who said he saw the high surf while driving down Cherry Street.
“It’s always exciting for me,” said Claud Garcia, who was standing close enough to the edge of the rocks to be sprayed by the breaking waves.
Power outages were limited mostly to the Forks area, where about 300 Clallam County Public Utility District customers lost power on Friday.
Electrical service was restored by 8:30 a.m. Saturday, said David Proebstel, PUD chief engineer.
East Jefferson County
Puget Sound Energy reported one residence losing power on Friday in Jefferson County.
Bob Hamlin, Jefferson County emergency manager, referred to the initial brunt of the storm as uneventful.
“It was forecasted to be tougher. Those things happen,” he said. “Nothing is as reported with the weather service.”
All lanes were open on Highway 101 in east Jefferson County at 3 p.m. Saturday after all of the trees were cleared, said state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Emily Pace. The trees had fallen around 2 p.m. Friday.
All lanes were closed until the southbound lane was opened at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
Funeral party evacuated
LaPush police evacuated more than 100 people from the Quileute Community Center Friday afternoon who were there for the funeral of Louise Eyle.
Hoban said the roof of the building could be seen coming off of its frame.
The building remained intact, he said, and only some roof slats were blown away.
“My mom just wasn’t going to go quietly,” Melissa Eyle said.
Eyle said the funeral party was going to bury her mother at the Quileute cemetery about a quarter-mile away when a great gust of win rattled the roof and led to the evacuation.
Hoban said LaPush police retrieved the funeral attendees’ belongings Saturday, including the food prepared for the meal that was planned after the burial.
Eyle said they had intended to dance, sing and eat at the end of the funeral.
She said the funeral will not be continued.
“We can’t revisit that moment. It is the way it is.”
Pace said the eastbound lane of state Highway 110 was closed only for a short period at 2:25 p.m.
LaPush police Officer Sean Hoban said Quileute tribal members used chain saws, trucks and manpower to remove the trees at mileposts 4, 7 and 10.
The National Weather Service predicts that sub-freezing temperatures will remain on the Peninsula until Wednesday, and snow flurries will abate by the afternoon.
One to 3 inches of snowfall was predicted for the Peninsula lowlands Saturday night. By 8 p.m. Saturday, about a half-inch of snow had fallen in Forks and Neah Bay.
Prior to Saturday night, snow accumulation had been limited to the highlands, and no snow is expected to accumulate in the lowlands today except for Forks, which may receive up to an inch.
Berg said snow and rain are expected to return on Wednesday.
Neah Bay
High winds are predicted for Neah Bay only, which could receive gusts as high as 41 mph.
Elsewhere, Berg said the wind should be sustained between 10 and 20 mph.
“We have been lucky that the power hasn’t gone out yet,” said Vince Cook, environmental division manager for the Makah tribe.
“It’s one of the things we always worry about.”
Due to the Makah reservation’s location at the northwesternmost point of Clallam County, Cook said it can take a couple of days for power to be restored.
“We’re pretty much lost on the grid,” he said.
If power is lost for more than a day, Cook said, the tribe will open its community hall, which has a backup generator, to provide food for residents on the reservation.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
