EVERETT — Thousands were without power Tuesday as heavy winds and rain toppled trees and scattered branches, damaging power lines across Snohomish County.

By mid-afternoon, Snohomish County Public Utility District spokesperson Aaron Swaney said close to 24,000 customers were affected by more than 30 outages that began around 10 a.m.

“Early fall storms are damaging because many of the trees still have their leaves on the limbs, weighing them down and causing them to fall more frequently,” Swaney said.

Left in the dark were residents from east and south Snohomish County, including customers in Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace, as well as cities along U.S. 2, such as Snohomish and Sultan. As of 6 p.m., more than 9,000 people were still without power.

Winds were expected to diminish into Wednesday, but the rain will stick around, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle.

“We have showers in the forecast, but not nearly like what we are seeing today,” said meteorologist Samantha Borth.

Concern about flooding in the region had largely subsided by Tuesday afternoon.

A convergence zone over the county made snowfall at Stevens Pass a possibility if temperatures continued to cool down through the evening, Borth said.