Tips for staying safe in high winds

National Weather Service (NWS) Seattle has issued a High Wind Warning and Wind Advisory for King County beginning today, Tuesday, November 19 at 2:00 pm PT, lasting until 4:00 am PT tomorrow, Wednesday, November 20, 2024. East to southeast winds sustained at 30-40 mph with gusts up to 65 mph are expected.  

High winds can cause downed trees and power lines, flying debris and building collapses, which may lead to power outages, transportation disruptions, damage to buildings and vehicles, and injury or death. 

While KCRHA does not currently have protocols for an unusual storm such as this, with a rapid buildup of high winds and a relatively short-lived timespan, we wanted to let our community partners know that we have started the conversation internally and are working quickly to find a path forward.  

As we work toward a more robust response in the future for wind-focused severe weather that does not meet our temperature or precipitation activation thresholds, here’s some safety guidance for you to share with the communities you serve:  

During high winds, if you are able, consider these actions to stay safer:  

• Seek shelter inside a safe building. During the day, you can rely on public spaces such as malls or shopping centers and Seattle Public Libraries or King County Libraries, or day centers. At night, if you’re able, seek overnight shelter. You can use the KCRHA Regional Services Database to filter by location and needs to find a shelter.  

If you are staying outside: 

• Tie down tents and canopies with additional guy lines and strong pegs or anchors, especially on the side the wind is coming from (east/southeast).  
• If you can move your camp downwind (west/northwest) of a large object like a building without causing an obstruction, do so.  
• Avoid areas with power lines, large overhanging tree branches, or dead trees. If there are branches already on the ground, it’s likely that more may come down in the wind.  
• Secure loose objects like chairs or garbage cans that could blow away and cause damage or injury.  
• Avoid low lying areas like tidal zones and riverbanks, as they may flood. 

If you are staying in your car or RV: 

• Shutter windows securely, and brace outside doors.
• Bring in loose or unsecured objects like chairs or garbage cans that could blow away and cause damage or injury.

Download a printable flyer with this information here.

If you have questions as your organization or agency prepares for this storm, please reach out to severeweather@kcrha.org.