More Rain, Mountain Snow Continue After Storm Batters Western Washington A powerful storm swept across western Washington, bringing strong winds, heavy rain in the lowlands, and dangerous snowy conditions in the mountains. Thousands of residents were left without power on Thursday morning as the storm disrupted infrastructure and caused widespread outages. Many of the reported outages by Puget Sound Energy occurred on the Eastside along the Interstate 90 corridor, leading up to Snoqualmie Pass. The storm’s strong winds and relentless rain caused trees to fall across the region, leading to significant damage. In Snohomish County, a tree fell onto a car near Monroe around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, resulting in one fatality. First responders noted that several power lines sparked during the incident but did not ignite a fire. Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue confirmed the incident was one of several calls they received for downed trees and power lines. In east King County, a tree fell on a camper along Lake Joy Road Northeast in Carnation around 9 p.m. Wednesday. The tree, measuring 70 feet tall and 5 feet in diameter, blocked access to the vehicle. Eastside Fire and Rescue crews worked for two hours to free the trapped individual, who was later hospitalized with critical injuries. The storm also caused road closures, with a 10-mile section of State Route 410 blocked due to downed trees. Trees were also reported on State Route 160 in the south Sound, while US 101 and State Route 7 in Eatonville had trees and power lines obstructing both directions of the highways. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) stated crews were actively removing debris and trees from State Route 20 between Marblemount Road and Newhalem.#puget_sound_energy #snoqualmie_pass #western_washington #snohomish_county #washington_state_department_of_transportation
Strongest Wind Gusts Recorded in Western Washington on Wednesday Night Winds reached their peak in western Washington on Wednesday night, with the most severe gusts recorded in the Cascades. A wind speed of 134 mph was measured at Alpental, located above Snoqualmie Pass. These extreme conditions caused widespread damage, including downed power lines and trees, and tragically resulted in at least one fatality when a tree fell onto a vehicle. The intense winds occurred during a Wind Advisory for the lowlands and a Blizzard Warning in the mountainous regions, though both alerts have since been lifted. The storm system brought significant impacts across the area, with varying wind speeds reported in different locations. In the Puget Sound lowlands, wind gusts ranged from 36 to 45 mph, with SeaTac recording 45 mph at 9 p.m. and Everett measuring 44 mph at 10 p.m. At higher elevations, the winds were even stronger. Alpental, situated at 2,400 feet above Snoqualmie Pass, experienced the highest gust of 134 mph at 9 p.m. Snoqualmie Pass itself saw winds of 73 mph at the same time. At Mount Rainier, winds reached 63 mph at 8 p.m. near Sunrise, which is around 6,000 feet in elevation. Crystal Mountain recorded 59 mph at 6 p.m. near the gondola, which is approximately 6,800 feet high. Paradise-Rainier had winds of 53 mph at 11 p.m., and Stevens Pass saw 48 mph at midnight on the ridge tops. A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect for the Cascade and Olympic mountains until 5 a.m. on Saturday. The KING 5 news outlet has activated its First Alert system for this weather event, which could impact lives, property, and travel in the Pacific Northwest. The First Alert Weather Team will provide updates to ensure public safety during the storm.#alpental #snoqualmie_pass #mount_rainier #crystal_mountain #king_5
