Storm at Cape D

I see by Facebook – one of the best sources of late-breaking local news I know – that schools from San Francisco to Gig Harbor will be closed today in anticipation of the Pineapple Express. (I wonder what my ancestors would have made of that sentence!) I don’t remember school ever being closed a day in advance during the 39 years I taught — not for weather, anyway. It was always a last minute thing, after the weather had struck.  Plus I don’t think we had ever heard the term ‘Pineapple Express’ which Wikipedia defines as a non-technical term for a meteorological phenomenon characterized by a strong and persistent flow of atmospheric moisture and associated with heavy precipitation from the waters adjacent to the Hawaiian Islands and extending to any location along the Pacific coast of North America.  Whew!

Astoria-Megler Bridge Closure, 2012

But, this time the powers-that-be are taking the forecasts seriously. Wind gusts of up to 90 mph are expected at Cape Disappointment and, ominously, the WSDOT Astoria Bridge camera for the Astoria-Megler Bridge is “currently unavailable.”   My interest in the bridge stems from the fact that I am scheduled to give a little talk at an Encore luncheon in Astoria later today. Not only am I concerned about getting there to meet my obligation, but I’m not really wanting to stay across the river overnight (or longer) if there is a bridge closure later in the day. I remember back in 2012 when the bridge was closed for several days due to wind damage.

My tendency is to pooh-pooh the dire predictions but… I also have a healthy “better to be safe than sorry” attitude about such things. Yesterday was pretty wild here in Oysterville; we even had a power outage for long enough that I took a tepid shower (thank goodness we are downhill from the water supply and gravity feed gives us good pressure) and put my face on by candlelight.

Yesterday at Washaway Beach

It was another case of having to be elsewhere later in the day – in that instance to do a promised book-signing. We drove around the bay to South Bend through wind and rain but it wasn’t as scary as I had feared. Lots of others braved the weather, as well, coming not only from the Peninsula but from as far as Westport and clear from Carbonado up in Pierce County! I was so glad I hadn’t let them down.

So… we’ll probably head for Astoria no matter what. Right now at 6:30 a.m. it is calm here in Oysterville. Perhaps the Pineapple Express got diverted… and wouldn’t that be great! All those kids with an unexpected day off and all those teachers with a pre-Christmas gift of time to shop, cook, and do the extra things that the holidays demand!

Here’s wishing everyone a safe, warm day no matter what the weather brings!