||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT |||
The National Weather Service is calling for strong winds in the islands Sunday and Monday.
Winds are forecast to be strongest at the south end of San Juan and Lopez Islands, with possible gusts to 60mph, and perhaps as high as 70mph. Winds will be slightly less in other locations.
This amount of wind is usually right around where the islands start to see trees and limbs coming down. Given that many trees still have their leaves (thanks to the early rains for that!), deciduous trees could be particularly impacted.
Strong winds are an entirely expected and welcome part of winter life in the islands, but the first storm of the season always seems to catch a few islanders by surprise. Now is a good time to check your power outage preparedness, ensure your chainsaw is operational, double check your dock lines of your boat, and secure anything outdoors that might blow around.
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