SEATTLE — A strong windstorm battered much of western Washington on Sunday, knocking out power to tens of thousands and toppling trees, one of which killed a man in Seattle when it landed on his car.
A toddler also was in the vehicle and was taken to a Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with minor injuries, fire spokeswoman Corey Orvold said. She said she believes a passer-by helped the girl out of the backseat at Seward Park in south Seattle.
Firefighters recovered the body of the man, who has not been identified yet.
“My thoughts are with the family of the victims from today’s tragic incident in Seward Park, and I urge all residents to exercise caution while this windstorm is in effect. If possible, please postpone any plans to travel until the storm passes,” Mayor Ed Murray said in a statement.
The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning for much of western Washington, with wind gusts possibly reaching between 40 and 50 mph, meteorologist Jay Neher said.
Trees fell throughout the region, and more than 200,000 customers lacked electricity Sunday evening.
The ground is saturated from heavy rain, and recent storms have weakened trees and branches, which could lead to additional damage and outages, Puget Sound Energy said in a news release.
High winds and waves closed the State Route 520 bridge across Lake Washington, the state transportation department said on its website.
Strong gusts knocked over a tractor-trailer on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, witnesses told KOMO-TV.
“I see the semi starting to lean and then all of a sudden it just went over altogether,” Kellsie Heck told the TV station. “It (the wind) was pushing me over as I ran up to the truck.”
There were no reports of serious injuries.
The weather service also warned of slippery roads and poor visibility on the highways to Mount Baker and Mount Rainier, with 1 to 2 feet of snow expected to fall in the Cascades through noon Monday.
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