Weather

High Winds Knock Out Power For Thousands In King County Monday

Strong winds made their way through the region Monday as a cold front moved inland. Here's the latest.

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High winds and heavy rains brought down trees and caused power outages around Western Washington on Monday.
High winds and heavy rains brought down trees and caused power outages around Western Washington on Monday. (Washington State Department of Transportation)

SEATTLE — More than 60,000 Puget Sound Energy customers were without power late Monday morning as another wet and gusty weather front made its way across the region. Forecasters projected wind gusts as high as 45 mph around the Seattle region Monday, and a wind advisory remains in place until 4 p.m. Some estimates were already being surpassed by mid-morning.

Some of the largest power outages seen around King County Monday morning were in the areas around Cascade-Fairwood, Maple Heights, Auburn and North Bend. Virtually all of Vashon Island was without power.

A snapshot of power outages among Puget Sound Energy customers around the Seattle area Monday morning. (Puget Sound Energy)

Outages were less widespread within Seattle city limits, with fewer than 1,000 City Light customers without power shortly before noon.

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Forecasters expected gusty conditions would persist through the afternoon as a cold front pushed into the area, directly behind the latest Pineapple Express. While the weather should be calmer in the wake of Monday's storm, temperatures will tumble by at least 10 degrees.

"Heavy rain will push east this afternoon, with very strong west winds down the Strait and rapidly falling snow levels," NWS Seattle wrote Monday. "A [Puget Sound Convergence Zone] and mountain snow will then give way to a drying trend on Tuesday, which will continue through Wednesday."

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Up north, a deluge of rain caused flooding and landslides around Skagit and Whatcom counties, including one slide that blocked northbound Interstate 5 in Bellingham.

A flood watch will remain in place until Tuesday afternoon, but current river forecasts for King and Pierce counties showed only the Snoqualmie and Tolt reaching moderate flood stages.

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