Local News

If you like good old-fashioned Western Washington rainstorms, you’ll love the weather that kicks in this weekend.

“We’re looking at four significant weather systems in five days,” said Chris Burke of the Weather Service, saying the storms are expected to hit Saturday, Sunday night, Monday night and again on Wednesday.

In all, they could drop 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches of rain in the Puget Sound lowlands, and about twice that near the coast.

Heavier  precipitation is expected in the mountains, falling as snow in higher elevations. Snoqualmie Pass, at 3,022, is likely to see mostly rain, or a rain-snow mix. But Stevens Pass, 1,000 feet higher, could get 10 inches of snow or more over the weekend, according to the forecast.

It’s also expected to be breezy on the coast and in the mountains, less so in the Greater Seattle area.

Is there an explanation for the soggy weather pattern heading our way from the Pacific? “Yes,” said Burke. “It’s called November.”

November is typically the wettest month in the Seattle area, and the month’s last two weeks are the rainiest.

Through Wednesday, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport had recorded 1.96 inches of rain so far this month, compared to a normal 2.96 inches for November’s first two weeks.

“So we’re an inch down, but I have a suspicion we’ll make that up,” Burke said.
Normal Sea-Tac precipitation for all of November is 6.57 inches.

Because the coming precipitation will be spread out over five days, it’s not as likely to produce flooding as it would if it all fell in a day or two, Burke said.  But some rivers, such as Skokomish River in Mason County could reach flood level at some point, although no flood warnings are currently posted.

Ebey Slough or Ebey Estuary? As we said in an earlier post, the Washington State Commission on Geographic Names is toying with the idea of changing Ebey Slough to Ebey Estuary.

Curiously, the slough, an 8-mile long waterway that branches off from the Snohomish River and flows into Puget Sound, was described as a tidal estuary in a report by a state engineer in 1891, according to HistoryLink.org.

Some of us weren’t too familiar with the word slough before arriving in the Northwest, but the name certainly gives this area a sense of place.

The question is, slough or estuary? Which do you prefer? Answer our poll.

The Beach Boys pose backstage at the 54th annual Grammy Awards last Sunday in Los Angeles. From left, Bruce Johnston, David Marks, Brian Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Wouldn’t it be nice… If the reunited Beach Boys and the Dave Matthews Band came to the Northwest this summer.

Well they are, having announced their summer tour dates for concerts in our neck of the woods.

Here’s the skinny: The tour dates.

The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation announced this morning that it will be handing out some $6.6 million in grants, more than $3.3 million of which will benefit groups in Washington state.

The scope of the grants were widely varied – from $500,000 to Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry to support a new museum at Lake Union Park to $150,000 to Seattle public defense agency, The Defender Association to support a research project focused on employment and housing for ex-offenders.

Grants to groups in Washington also include: $400,000 to the Lake Washington School District, to support a capacity building project for the development of science, technology, engineering and mathematics curriculum; $100,000 to Washington State Bar Foundation to support legal services for families facing foreclosure; $80,000 to the Icicle Creek Music Center in Leavenworth to support a project focusing on audience research and marketing; and $50,000 to Rotary First Harvest,to support a project dedicated towards strengthening the operating capacity and expansion of food banks.

Funds will also go to museums, the Seattle Opera Association, a Capitol Hill dance studio, radio station KEXP, schools, Habitat for Humanity and other groups. Grants will also be given out in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and internationally.

Of the $6.6 million in grants, close to $1 million was be given to innovative projects in Native American communities across the Pacific Northwest.

“We’ve seen over the years that Native American and tribal communities face challenges that defy ordinary approaches,” Susan M. Coliton, vice president of The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, said in a news release. “At the same time, these communities are characterized by great depth of cultural resources and strengths. To support them, The Foundation looked for programs that were working across the sectors, trying to better the lives of tribal community members.”

The Foundation has dedicated $240,000 to assist an Ilwaco, Pacific County, program designed to offer loans to Native American entrepreneurs.

The Foundation was launched by Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul G. Allen and Jo Lynn Allen in 1988. Since inception, the Foundation has awarded over $438 million to more than 1,400 nonprofit groups.

Update 8:29 a.m.:

Here is a list of all the grants awarded, by state.

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