Winds Calm Monday Night, But More Storms Brewing For Puget Sound

SEATTLE — High winds are forecast to taper off Monday evening after more than 24 hours of gusty conditions across Western Washington left thousands without power. According to Puget Sound Energy, more than 141,000 customers experienced outages since winds kicked up Sunday, and more than 20,000 remained in the dark late Monday morning.

Issaquah, Sammamish, Redmond, Enumclaw, Graham and Orting were among the hardest-hit communities, and PSE anticipated further outages Monday as high winds persisted. East of Issaquah, a tree fell onto a car Sunday afternoon, killing two people.

Here is where some of the highest gusts were recorded around Western Washington:

• Destruction Island: 68 mph (1 a.m. Monday)
• Paine Field: 61 mph (3:18 p.m. Sunday)
• Seattle: 54 mph (2:26 a.m. Monday)
• Tacoma: 52 mph (2:29 p.m. Sunday)
• Enumclaw: 51 mph (2:45 p.m. Sunday)

Forecasters at NWS Seattle said a strong offshore storm would continue to fuel high winds across the area Monday, and waves as high as 30 feet along the coast. The most damaging gusts were expected to impact the coast and areas from Everett northward.

The good news is that winds should begin to decline Monday evening, and Tuesday is forecast to be significantly calmer. But even at the highest winds move out, the rain is here to stay.

Another atmospheric river is forecast to wash over Puget Sound later this week, increasing the risks for river flooding as the region's waterways are already running high. The Skokomish River was already forecast to reach flood stage by Monday afternoon.

Rain is in the forecast straight through the end of the workweek, with potentially significant precipitation possible between Wednesday evening and Friday morning. Forecasters are firming up the models for mid-week and will have more details to share on potential flood risks in the coming days.

Forecasters expect the weekend will bring relief, with rivers receding and "drier and more tranquil weather" returning just in time for Halloween.

Here is the 5-day weather outlook for the Seattle area:

• Tuesday: 55°/49° (Rain)
• Wednesday: 55°/48° (Rain)
• Thursday: 58°/49° (Rain)
• Friday: 53°/42° (Rain likely)
• Saturday: 51°/41° (Slight chance of rain)