Thousands still without power in Thurston County on Monday after weekend storm
More than 13,000 people were still without power throughout Puget Sound Energy’s coverage area on Monday morning, more than 2,000 of them in Thurston County, PSE spokesperson Gerald Tracy said.
Worse news? It’s going to take some time — maybe days — to get everyone back on the grid.
Tracy said Thurston County experienced heavy damage from the atmospheric river and high winds over the weekend, and it will take until Tuesday evening or Wednesday for everyone’s power to be back on. He said more than 100,000 people in Thurston County were affected by the storm.
He said transmission lines that power substations were damaged in the storm. One is still being re-connected, but that involves working up in mountainous areas that the lines run through. Tracy said PSE had helicopter crews flying throughout the Olympics and Cascades on Sunday to assess transmission line damage.
He said if folks don’t see crews actively working in their neighborhoods, they might be working to repair lines out in the mountains.
Tracy said the heavy wind and rain over the weekend also knocked down a number of large trees in more rural areas, which impedes crews’ ability to fix damaged power lines. Removing trees from roadways adds hours to a routine job, Tracy said.
He said the storm has caused an all-hands-on-deck situation for PSE, and they have more than 90 power line crews and dozens of assessment teams working to restore power.
Pope John Paul II High School in Lacey was closed Monday due to being without power. PSE currently has no timeline for when electricity will return, so the school could not predict when classes would resume.
This story was originally published October 27, 2025 at 12:14 PM.
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