EVERETT — The National Weather Service in Seattle was expecting sustained winds of 40 mph in Snohomish County on Thursday night, with power outages likely.
The Everett area was predicted to see winds of up to 40 mph, but areas north of Everett, especially near the water, were likely to receive gusts of up to 65 mph, said weather service meteorologist Josh Smith.
The heaviest winds were predicted to hit after about 7 p.m. and dissipate by morning.
Forecasters said it could be the biggest windstorm since one in 2006 knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of utility customers in Western Washington, some for more than a week.
Snohomish County PUD was preparing for power outages Thursday.
“We have crews on alert for overnight response,” said PUD spokesman Neil Neroutsos.
There were fears that falling debris and downed power lines could block roads. Smith said soggy soil from heavy rains also increased the possibility of toppled trees.
Elsewhere in the state, thousands of people lost power Thursday as the storm packing strong winds moved north.
In southwest Washington’s Clark County, Clark Public Utilities reported about 36,000 people without power Thursday evening. There were scattered outages elsewhere.
The National Weather Service clocked a wind gust of 66 mph registered at Naselle in southwest Washington.
In Oregon, high winds blew across the state on Thursday, killing a homeless man hit by a falling tree, damaging Portland buildings and bringing down power lines. Power outages were reported up and down Western Oregon, hitting the Willamette Valley especially hard.
Neroutsos of the PUD suggested simple steps for preparedness in any emergency situation, such as keeping mobile devices fully charged, isolating one room in the home to keep warm, and stocking flashlights and batteries.
Heavy rains were expected to spur rivers, though no flooding was predicted.
The weather service also warned that the soggy conditions have increased the risk of landslides. Sounder commuter and special service between Everett and Seattle were canceled through Monday after a slide along the tracks earlier this week.
The Snohomish County Sheriff office planned to update road closures and other safety concerns via Twitter at @SnoCoSheriff.
For PUD updates or to report power outages and downed power lines, call at 425-283-1001.
More information and tips at takewinterbystorm.org
This report contains material from The Associated Press.
Andrew Gobin: 425-339-3000, ext. 5461; agobin@heraldnet.com
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