Batten Down Hatches Kirkland, Here Comes 'Pineapple Express'

Get out the galoshes and batten down the hatches. The National Weather Service says a warm and wet front will bring rain and wind through Thursday, a forecast that sent city of Kirkland crews out to prepare.

"We're looking pretty good," Bobbi Wallace, director of the city's surface and stormwater division, said Tuesday. "We are aware the Pineapple Express is on its way. Today our crews went to all of our surface water hot spots, cleaning everything out, of branches and things like, that for the upcoming flow."

Two city "eductor trucks" -- or "suck trucks" -- also went out to clean many catch basins. The city's two flooding trouble spots, on Lake Washington Boulevard at Cochran Creek and Totem Lake Boulevard near Totem Lake, should also be on good shape.

Sediments were removed from Cochran Creek last year to increase flow capacity, and the city has also cleared portions of the creek that drains Totem Lake, in addition to installing a pump at one spot to help keep the level of Totem Lake down.

Wallace also urged residents to make sure catch basin covers on roads near their homes are kept free of debris, and reminded them of free sandbag stations the city recently created. See a Kirkland Patch story about that here.

A Flood Watch has been issued for rivers originating in the Olympics and Cascades. But down here, Kirkland residents can expect significant rainfall, mild temperatures and moderate winds, the latter blowing in a small craft advisory for Puget Sound -- which means Lake Washington will be sloppy as well.

Localized flooding is possible. The National Weather Service forecast for Kirkland calls for rain and winds 11 to 20 mph, with lows 45 to 49 degrees and high from 55 to 58.

It is the classic “Pineapple Express” coming straight from the South Pacific, good-natured called ‘Poseidon” by UW weather guru Cliff Mass on his blog here.