High Winds Strand Two Cruise Ships in Seattle Bay

Two cruise ships were stuck in Seattle's Elliott Bay on Monday as high winds tore through the area.

The winds were associated with an atmospheric river moving through the region. Storms began on Sunday and will continue through Tuesday.

This winter, the West Coast faced a slew of atmospheric rivers that caused devastating floods and landslides. The storms also brought a deluge of rain that supplemented California lakes and rivers, helping to eliminate the state's drought. However, the systems are uncommon in the Pacific Northwest during the summer months, since they typically develop during the wet season, which occurs over the winter.

Atmospheric rivers are a "long, narrow region in the atmosphere—like rivers in the sky—that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In the United States, the storms are typically seen during the West Coast's wet season in the winter.

The storms have brought rain to Seattle that has broken some records, and winds are also a concern. The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Seattle issued a wind advisory on Monday, forecasting winds that will reach up to 45 miles per hour.

The turbulent weather caused two cruise ships to become stranded in Elliott Bay when the strong winds made it difficult for them to dock. The affected ships were Quantum of the Seas, from Royal Caribbean and the MS Roald Amundsen, from Hurtigruten Expeditions.

Newsweek reached out to Royal Caribbean, Hurtigruten Expeditions and the U.S. Coast Guard by email for comment.

Cruise ships frequently leave from Seattle to take passengers to Alaska.

Quantum of the Seas was taking passengers back to port in Seattle at the culmination of its journey, according to Seattle TV station KOMO.

"Due to high winds, Quantum of the Seas is delayed in returning to port," a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean told KOMO. "We're closely monitoring the weather and are communicating updates directly to our guests."

The ship required a third tugboat to help it dock when usually only two are needed.

As of Tuesday morning, the wind advisory was still in effect for Seattle.

"Wind Advisory is in effect through 11 am Tuesday. Strongest wind gusts could approach 45 mph, especially across the North Interior from Oak Harbor through Bellingham (45% chance) after midnight tonight," the NWS office in Seattle posted on X (formerly Twitter).

The NWS advisory urged people to use extra caution when driving, adding that some wind damage could occur.

"Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects," the advisory said. "Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result."