Windstorm Leaves 150,000+ Without Power, Widespread Damage

SEATTLE, WA - A strong windstorm blew into Puget Sound right on time Thursday morning, with gusts already hitting 45 MPH in some places, and even 85 MPH closer to the Pacific Ocean. We'll be tracking the storm all day, and you can see the latest updates below.

There's a high wind warning in effect until 7 p.m. Thursday, with the National Weather Service telling local residents to expect gusts hitting up to 60 MPH. On top of wind, expect plenty of rain throughout the day.

"Power outages, road closures from downed trees and power lines, and impacts from the wind are mounting. Winds in the interior will continue to pick up. Best to stay put inside today if you can!" the NWS wrote on Twitter.

8 p.m.

The number of Seattle City Light customers without power was down to about 4,800, but there were 155 outages across the service area.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service had compiled a tally of the highest wind speeds recorded during the storm.

King County

• SR 520 BRIDGE 59 MPH 0137 PM
• I-90 BRIDGE 55 MPH 1127 AM
• SEATAC AIRPORT 52 MPH 1122 AM
• 1 S EASTGATE 48 MPH 1145 AM
• UNIV. OF WASHINGTON 46 MPH
• 3 SW SEATTLE 46 MPH 0127 PM
• BOEING FIELD 45 MPH 1100 AM
• NORMANDY PARK 43 MPH 1216 PM
• WHITE CENTER 40 MPH 1225 PM
• 2 NW HUNTS POINT 40 MPH
• RENTON AIRPORT 38 MPH

Pierce County

• CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN 91 MPH 0100 PM
• CHINOOK PASS 69 MPH 0700 AM
• TACOMA NARROWS AIRPORT 52 MPH
• JBLM 51 MPH 1141 AM
• GREENWATER 48 MPH 0100 PM
• PARADISE 47 MPH 1200 PM
• 1 ENE FIRCREST 43 MPH 1235 PM
• PIERCE COUNTY AIRPORT 37 MPH 1215 PM
• ELBE 37 MPH 1202 PM

Snohomish County

• PAINE FIELD EVERETT 66 MPH 1101 AM
• LAKE STEVENS 47 MPH 1230 PM
• INDEX 45 MPH 1252 PM
• ARLINGTON AIRPORT 43 MPH 1013 AM
• ALDERWOOD MANOR 41 MPH 1133 AM

5 p.m.

Puget Sound Energy was still dealing with a huge number of power outages, many of them in Kitsap, Island, Skagit and Whatcom counties.

3 p.m.

Winds were peaking over Puget Sound, but meteorologists warned that gusts will continue through the evening. The peak gusts so far were:

• Hurricane Ridge, 72 MPH at 10 a.m.
• Coupeville, 44 MPH at 10:41 a.m.
• SR 520 Bridge, 59 MPH at 1:37 p.m. (King County high)
• Tacoma Narrows Airport, 52 MPH at 11:47 a.m. (Pierce County high not in the Cascades)
• Paine Field, 66 MPH at 11:01 a.m.

Power outages had dropped in the Seattle City Light coverage area to about 27,000 customers.

The Puget Sound Energy outage map appeared to be down on Thursday, but the utility reported that 165,000 customers across 800 locations had lost power. PSE supplies electricity for a huge swath of Western Washington, from Bellingham to Thurston County.

Tens of thousands were still without power in the Snohomish PUD area, although many outages were in the northern part of the county - about 15,000 customers out between Burlington and Camano Island. In Edmonds, power lines had fallen across the road at 100th Avenue West and 244th Street Southwest.

Sound Transit warned that evening Sounder train trips could be impacted by power lines across tracks in Seattle's Interbay neighborhood.

1:30 p.m.

Candy Cane Lane in Seattle's Ravenna neighborhood suffered minor damage.

1 p.m.

"The cold front is moving through the Puget Sound region now. Winds will peak in the next few hours but remain gusty everywhere into the evening hours," the National Weather Service wrote on Twitter just before 1 p.m.

The number of outages in the Seattle City Light coverage area was up to 37,000 with 77 individual power outages. The utility sent out a text message alert warning residents that crews were responding to multiple outages at once.

There was at least one report of a tree hitting a house in the Wallingford neighborhood along Bagley Avenue. In Edmonds, a tree had fallen on a house near the intersection of SR 99 and SR 104.

The highest wind gust in King County was 59 MPH, recorded around 11:30 p.m. along the I-90 floating bridge. In Pierce County, JBLM reported a 51 MPH gust.

In Burlington, power lines fell across I-5, forcing the highway to close for cleanup.

12:15 p.m.

Nearly 30,000 Seattle City Light customers were without power across 40 different power outages between Burien and the Snohomish County line. One of the largest outages was in the Ravenna and Wedgewood neighborhoods.

The Snohomish County Public Utility District was reporting 55,000 outages, with about 13,000 in the Lynnwood-Edmonds area alone. At 12:05 p.m., a 55 MPH wind gust was recorded at Paine Field in Everett.

11:30 a.m.

About 5,000 Seattle City Light customers were without power. The biggest outages were in the Madison Valley neighborhood along Lake Washington (2,400 customers) and 2,600 in the Lake Forest Park-Shoreline area north of Hamlin Park.

A weather station on top of Mount Baker recorded a 111 MPH gust.

11 a.m.

An estimated 21,000 Puget Sound Energy customers were without power, mostly in the Bellingham area and on the Kitsap Peninsula. About 400 customers in Sammamish were without power in a residential neighborhood north of Beaver Lake Park. Seattle City Light had reported no major outages.

In Pierce County, wind gusts hit 50 MPH at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and 45 MPH at the Tacoma Narrows Airport.

A 40 MPH gust was recorded at 10:57 a.m. along the SR 520 bridge connecting Seattle and the Eastside.

The Hood Canal Bridge along SR 104 was closed by WSDOT at 10:59 a.m.

Photos via Grays Harbor Public Utility District, Neal McNamara/Patch