Heavy winds leave thousands without power in Western Washington

Western Washington is recovering Friday after high winds ripped through the region, knocking out power for tens of thousands of residents.

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Photos of windstorm damage in Western Washington

Various schools throughout the region were also closed for the day, such as Tacoma’s Lincoln High School which was closed for windstorm damage.

About 71,200 customers were left without power Friday morning. Puget Sound Energy reported that it had crews working over night to restore power to more than 244,000 customers by 4 a.m.

As of Friday morning, the region’s power companies reported:

• Seattle City Light: 770 customers
• Puget Sound Energy: Roughly 51,000 customers
• Snohomish County PUD: 8,100 customers
• Mason County PUD: 2,500 customers

According to PSE, the damage was worst in Kitsap, Island, Skagit and Whatcom Counties. Falling trees and branches took down local power lines, and also damaged large transmission lines that serve entire communities.

We are bringing in additional crews to assist us in our restoration efforts. Our Emergency Coordination Center and local storm bases remain open. Crews will be working through the night to restore power to our customers. #wawind #wawx pic.twitter.com/QjT8sjxb1a

— Puget Sound Energy (@PSETalk) December 21, 2018

Seattle City Light reported a peak of 40,000 outages Thursday afternoon.

Heavy wind

The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning for the Washington state coastline and the inland Thursday morning and afternoon. Mount Baker recorded wind gusts up to 117 mph. Winds throughout Western Washington were so strong, state troopers were surprised at what the found at times.

RELATED: Tornado damages over 400 homes in Kitsap County

“On State Route 12, just outside of Aberdeen, one of our troopers looked up and he saw a trampoline there,” said Trooper Chelsea Hodgson. “You never know what you get in these storms. We figure trees, but that’s the first time I’ve seen a trampoline in power lines.”

Tree on house in #Edmonds near HWY 99 and 104. Fortunately no one was home at the time. Weather updates on @KIRO7Seattle online and on tv. pic.twitter.com/EIlE1bMjRW

— Joanna Small (@JoannaKIRO7) December 20, 2018

The high wind warning was in effect between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Affected locations will include Bellingham, Seattle, Bellevue, and Tacoma. A lesser “wind advisory” was in effect for the southwest interior in Olympia, Lacey, Port Angeles, and Sequim. Winds diminished across the coast and interior by Thursday evening.

Gusts up 85 mph were reported from Destruction Island, just off the coast of Western Washington.

The weather service also warned of the potential of flooding. The winds caused massive waves to flood Birch Bay Drive in Whatcom County, damaging the roadway. Waters also surged through businesses along Birch Bay Drive. Firefighters also rescued an elderly woman trapped in her car amid the rising waters.

It’s been a wet and stormy December for Washington state. A tornado touched down in Kitsap County Tuesday afternoon with winds topping out at a whopping 130 mph. Earlier that morning, snowstorms shut down I-90 between North Bend and Ellensberg, prompted by slicks roads and multiple spin-outs.

Traffic closures

Thursday’s windstorms caused several closures across the region, largely from fallen trees. Those closures included:

• All lanes of I-5 in both directions at Bow Hill Road shortly after 1 p.m. As of 4:40 p.m., all lanes were reopened in the evening.
• Deception Pass Bridge on Highway 20, closed around 1 p.m. Reopened around 3 p.m.
• Both directions of SR 524 at 52nd Ave W, closed shortly before 2 p.m. Reopened around 5 p.m.
• Both directions of SR 531 at Hubly Rd, closed at 2:30 p.m.
• Both directions of SR 3 at SR 302 in Allyn, closed at 2:20 p.m. after a large tree fell on power lines. Washington State Patrol said closure would last three hours.
• Hood Canal Bridge, closed around 10 a.m. due to high winds and water blowing over bridge deck. Reopened close to 3:30 p.m.
• Both directions of SR 19 at MP 13, closed at 11:54 a.m. “until further notice.” Reopened around 3:00 p.m.

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