Winds down trees, cause power outages in Western Washington

A strong weather system brought rain and gusty winds to Washington state overnight Wednesday, knocking out power, blowing over trees and flooding roadways.

No damage was reported in Pierce County but state Route 302 near the Pierce and Mason counties line was closed because of downed trees.

Wind gusts reached 43 miles per hour in Tacoma, 36 mph in University Place, 34 mph in Fircrest, 30 mph in South Hill and 36 mph in Olympia.

Crystal Mountain and Mount Baker saw 101 mph gusts, forcing Mount Baker Ski Area to close Thursday. Mission Ridge in Wenatchee registered 127 mph wind.

High winds temporarily shut down the Hood Canal Bridge on Thursday.

The biggest impact from the storm was seen north of Seattle.

The U.S. Coast Guard reported that boat crews rescued three people after high winds washed a fishing boat onto the rocks near Bellingham.

Brownsville Highway in Kitsap County was closed Thursday morning because of water over the road. Downed trees forced the closure of other roads throughout Western Washington.

Downed trees and power lines closed roads in Snohomish County. The Public Utility District worked to restore power for Marysville and other parts of Snohomish County.

Crews with Seattle City Light worked to restore power in several locations. It reported that 5,600 customers were without power in the Capitol Hill, Montlake area.

Puget Sound Energy said downed trees caused outages throughout the region.

Power lines fell on a house in Lynnwood and sparked a fire, according to KIRO-TV.

Sounder Northline trains Nos. 1703 and 1705 out of Everett were held because of trees across the tracks.

Winds were forecast to die down Thursday but rain was likely to linger through the weekend.

This month, 2.77 inches of rain have fallen at Sea-Tac Airport. The monthly average is 3.72 inches.

“Looks like we will be above the normal for the entire month by Monday,” the National Weather Service said.

This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 12:57 PM with the headline "Winds down trees, cause power outages in Western Washington."