Wind knocks out power around Puget Sound, forces bridge closure
Mar 10, 2017, 6:14 AM | Updated: 6:30 am
Sustained winds knocked out power to thousands Friday morning. (KIRO 7)
(KIRO 7)
Several thousand people are without power due to high winds that also temporarily closed the Hood Canal Bridge Friday morning.
A Wind Advisory is in effect for the Puget Sound region and Washington coast until 10 a.m. Friday, with sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph coming from the southwest with gusts of up to 45 mph. The advisory was dropped for the north interior.
Sustained winds in Seattle are 20 mph, Everett 30 mph, 23 mph for Shelton, 13 mph for Tacoma and 24 mph for Hoquiam.
KIRO 7 PinPoint Meteorologist Kelly Franson said the key area for the highest winds is in the central Sound from Shelton across to Bremerton and over to Seattle, Everett and Tacoma.
Most of the power outages are in Kitsap County in Poulsbo and Bremerton. About 4,000 people were without power as of 5 a.m.
Around 6 a.m. about 3,000 Puget Sound Energy customers were still without power.
In Port Orchard, the traffic is being diverted at Harper Hill Road Southeast because of trees across Sedgwick Road. Drivers are advised to use caution when approaching and departing the ferry terminal.
Fallen trees are also blocking all lanes of SR 9 near Arlington, just north of Finn Settlement Road.
The Hood Canal Bridge closed due to high winds at 3:50 a.m. Friday.
On the I-90 Bridge, winds peaked at 40 mph at about 3:30 a.m. There has been no impact on traffic so far.
The peak wind speeds will happen until about 7 a.m. for most urban areas. Winds will slowly subside after. Wind will be sustained in the 15-25 mph range with common gusts from 30 to 40 mph. More sporadic locations, like spots near the water and ridge and hilltops, will get winds of over 40 mph.
After about 8 a.m., wind will calm down slowly and turn westerly. That will bring stout wind down the Strait of Juan de Fuca that will last until the noon hour.
Showers and sunbreaks will continue through the day but temperatures will be warmer — around 50 degrees. In the passes, snow will turn to rain overnight and snow levels will be above 5,000 feet tomorrow.
A brief dry time comes late Friday and early Saturday before more rain for late Saturday and Sunday.
Temperatures are going to rise a bit over the next few days and it looks like more normal weather is in store as far as temperatures go for much of next week (50s for highs instead of 40s It still looks rainy in the lowlands with more mountain snow at times.
