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Windstorm could top Seattle's worst storms list

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It's a gloomy prediction by Seattle weather forecasters: the storm coming this weekend could be one of the worst in Seattle's history.

Most wind storms make landfall close to Vancouver Island, hitting the coast the hardest. National Weather Service computer models predict this time the strongest winds could come inland.

Seattle meteorologist Allen Kam calls that the worst case scenario.

Links to outage maps and contacts for reporting

Seattle City Light: 206-684-3000

Puget Sound Energy: 1-888-225-5773

Snohomish PUD: 425-783-1001

Kam: "We call it a Puget Sound windstorm because the strongest winds wind up over the Puget Sound region. And the worry is it's early in the season, trees are still weaker, so there's a greater potential for tree damage, which means more power outages usually."

Kam predicts this Saturday's storm will resemble major Seattle storms of the past. Those include the Hanukkah Eve storm of 2006 and the Inauguration Day storm of 1993 - both which led to multiple deaths.

Many deaths in the Hanukkah Eve storm were related to people using barbeque cookers and generators indoors when the power was out.

Kam said the storm pattern could still change by Saturday, making landfall away from the Puget Sound region.

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