Herald staff and Associated Press
EVERETT — High winds left trees blocking roads and thousands without power in Snohomish County on Thursday.
High wind warnings were in effect for most of the day. Snohomish County PUD customers started to lose power around 11 a.m. — about the time a 66 mph gust was recorded at Paine Field.
By the strongest point of the storm, nearly 50,000 PUD customers lost power. In all of Western Washington, more than 300,000 customers lost power.
A 47 mph gust was recorded in Lake Stevens, and 40-plus mph gusts were recorded in Arlington, Lynnwood and Index. Roads were closed in Lake Stevens and Lynnwood because of fallen trees.
Highway 92 at Callow Road was affected for about an hour. Highway 524 also was blocked at 52nd Avenue W and had not been reopened by 5 p.m.
In Marysville, the Holiday Tour of Lights was cancelled. The show was expected to continue as planned Friday and Saturday at the Cedarcrest Golf Course.
The National Weather Service said a gust of 117 mph was reported at Mount Baker, while a 72 mph gust was noted on Hurricane Ridge on the Olympic Peninsula.
Downed power lines blocked southbound Interstate 5 near Burlington. The Hood Canal Bridge was closed because of high winds, and the Deception Pass Bridge was closed due to downed trees and power lines.
Some ferry routes were delayed or cancelled in central and north Puget Sound. On the Port Townsend-Coupeville ferry run, boats reported sustained winds of 43 mph, gusting to 53 mph.
Wind in Bellingham ripped part of the exterior from a clock tower while over in Discovery Bay an 80-foot sailboat was blown aground. Washington State Patrol trooper Chelsea Hodgson said on Twitter that a trampoline was trapped between power lines near Grays Harbor. In Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood, a giant Western Hemlock landed on the roof of a home.
Sound Transit said there were power lines hanging over the railroad tracks in Seattle, delaying north Sounder commuter trains.
Most of the wind had subsided by 3 p.m. The weather service said it would be breezy throughout the night.
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