Hazardous Weather Alert! High Wind Warning! 50 MPH Gusts Today!

Hold onto your hats and batten down the hatches! This won't exactly be comparable to what Dorothy and Toto experienced, but there's a serious HIGH WIND WARNING in effect until late tonight. The folks with Yakima Valley Emergency Management  are warning us:

Strong winds are expected this afternoon (Tue) into the evening. NWS Pendleton has upgraded this event to a High Wind Warning for West-Southwest winds of 30-40 mph gusting 50-60+ mph within Yakima County to include some surrounding counties east of the Cascade crest. Strongest winds are forecast to occur over higher terrain and into eastern Yakima county, as well as through the Columbia Gorge and into the Tri-Cities area.

So. what does an official HIGH WIND WARNING mean?

A Warning means that the event is imminent or occurring. Even if your area does not experience the winds as forecast, winds are still to be considerably stronger than normal.

The YVEM reminds everyone to be sure anything loose around your home, yard, property, or even anything possibly loose, should be checked and secured. They also point out:

Driving may be difficult, especially high profile vehicles traveling over the pass on I-82 and any north-south running roads.

Certainly, it's times like these when having emergency kits ready-to-go in your home or office and be sure that your family and co-workers know where to find it and how to use it. In fact, an emergency plan should be in place to be sure those most important to you can stay safe in any situation.