Latest Wind Predictions For Puget Sound As 'Extraordinary' Storm Approaches

SEATTLE, WA — An "extraordinary" storm is approaching the Puget Sound area, predicted to hit peak strength between 2 and 5 p.m. Friday afternoon. The storm will bring wind gusts up to 60 mph between Bellingham and Tacoma. On Friday morning, the National Weather Service released the latest wind gust forecasts for the region.

The wind dissipates noticeably the farther east you get from Puget Sound. Gusts in the Cascade foothills are about one-third the strength of gusts along coastal areas. Much of the region remains under a high wind warning, however.

Here's how high the wind gusts might get near you:

• Seattle - 48 MPH
• Tacoma - 44 MPH
• Enumclaw - 15 MPH
• Edmonds - 44 MPH
• Bellevue - 42 MPH
• Gig Harbor - 45 MPH
• Woodinville - 42 MPH

Meanwhile, University of Washington meteorologist Cliff Mass is calling the Friday storm "extraordinary."

"It is probably the most powerful April storm to approach the Northwest coast during the past half century. A very large, well-formed oceanic cyclone that will cross Vancouver Island Friday evening. And one that will surely bring power outages to the coast and parts of the interior," Mass wrote in a blog post published Thursday.

Image via National Weather Service