Nearly 70K lost power as gusty winds moved across Puget Sound region Saturday
SEATTLE - A series of weather patterns causing high wind gusts, heavy mountain snowfall, and persistent lowland rain are moving through the Puget Sound region this weekend.
Thousands of people across western Washington remain without power, this according to utility outage maps. The areas impacted include Seattle and surrounding communities.
Communities like Renton’s La Rosa Meadows neighborhood was still in the dark Saturday night, despite an estimated restoration time of 3 p.m.
Transportation officials Saturday morning were cautioning drivers to be on the lookout for flying debris, hanging stoplights and downed trees.
Keep reading for what to know about the power outages going on around the region.
"It’s pretty bad out here," said Danny Waldreb.
Waldreb lives in Renton. His neighborhood has been without power since 11 a.m. Saturday.
That’s when heavy winds toppled a nearby tree. As it fell, it took down power lines. The tension from those wires led to at least one power poll snapping.
"It woke me up," said Waldreb. "I heard the cracking of the pole. It looks like the tree took everything down. I have wires still attached to my house. Cable also got ripped out. Repair is going to need some TLC."
Power outages across Puget Sound region on Dec. 14
As of 10 a.m. Sunday, power outages were still impacting about 4,000 customers, down from a peak of nearly 70,000 midday Saturday. Puget Sound Energy outage map show highest outages around Bainbridge Island, Whidbey Island, and areas west of Vashon Island.
Road conditions in the greater-Seattle area on Dec. 14
There was a low hanging signal at 7th Avenue and Madison Street in the northbound turn lane, according to SDOT Traffic.
A shaky traffic camera in Everett prompted a reminder from WSDOT to drivers as debris is possible in the area of wind gusts. They also ask people to secure any loads they are transporting this weekend.
In the Alki area, a downed tree on Friday had lead to extended outages for hundreds of residents. "The damage to the area in Alki was more extensive than initially thought," said Seattle City Light.
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