Storm knocks out power for thousands in Thurston County as possibility of snow looms
Strong winds, rain and snow caused power outages across western Washington Tuesday evening, including in Thurston County.
Power outages affected an estimated 1,700 residences, according to Thurston County Emergency Management. In a Wednesday morning update, PSE said King, Kitsap and Thurston counties saw the most outages from Tuesday’s storm.
And forecasters predict you’ll be waking up to snow Thursday morning, as temperatures fall but precipitation continues Wednesday night.
Power outages
PSE crews worked overnight to assess the damage, repair transmission lines and restore circuit outages. Since the beginning of the storm, PSE says they have restored power in more than 60,000 customer outages.
“We know it’s difficult to be without power, especially on cold winter days, and are working as quickly as we can to make repairs — with safety as our top priority,” PSE said in a Wednesday morning update.
As of 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, PSE still reported 252 active outages across its service area, affecting 23,066 customers. In Thurston County, PSE counted 65 active outages.
PSE blamed the damage on fallen trees and limbs caused by rain-saturated soils and heavy snow on branches. PSE added some crews had struggled to access some areas due to heavy snow, downed trees and branches.
Travel troubles
The conditions have disrupted travel and flights across the region. Collisions affected traffic on Snoqualmie Pass, causing full closures in parts of I-90, The Seattle Times reported.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport had 38 flight cancellations and 95 delays as of 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. On Tuesday, FlightAware recorded 191 flight cancellations and more than 633 delays at the airport.
What’s ahead
The National Weather Service in Seattle expects colder temperatures and lower snow levels to cause problems through early next week.
Lowland snow will remain a possibility throughout the week, and mountain regions can expect moderate to heavy snow. With temperatures moving back and forth across the freezing point — with lows dipping into the mid 20s — icy roads will be possible all week.
In addition to Tuesday night snow, the NWS says Thurston County will likely see snow before 4 p.m. Thursday. Snow may even accumulate but at less than 1 inch, per the forecast. The high will reach just 37 degrees, NWS predicts.
Chances of snow will return Thursday night when temperatures are expected to fall to 22 degrees. However, there will likely be little to no accumulation.
However, in a Wednesday morning update, the NWS had altered some forecasts, and cautioned there was low certainty for how the weather pattern will play out from Wednesday to Thursday. Snow levels in the lowlands may vary across the region with some places getting more and some not at all.
The forecast indicates there will be more rain or snow into Saturday in the Olympia area, but the high will be near 40 degrees.
A brief respite from the stormy conditions may arrive on Sunday. The forecast shows partly sunny skies are expected.
But the NWS says a new weather system will move into the region late Monday, bringing another chance of rain and snow for the lowlands. Temperatures will remain near 40 degrees during the day and near freezing overnight.
Safety tips
PSE advises residents to never touch downed power lines because they may still be energized.
Anyone who comes across a downed power line should stay at least 35 feet away and call PSE at 1-888-225-5773 to report the problem. In the event of an emergency, people can call 911.
Those without power should never use a natural gas range or charcoal as an indoor heating source, according to PSE. Using these indoors can cause poisonous carbon monoxide gas to build up.
PSE says portable heaters should be kept away from furniture, draperies and other flammable materials. Flashlights should be used instead of candles as well.
Thurston County recommends residents prepare for wintry storms by creating emergency kits and signing up for Thurston Community Alerts, the county’s official emergency notification system.
“With TC Alert, you can get alerts sent directly to your smartphone, or other devices, including flood warnings, evacuation notices and instructions, or severe weather alerts,” said Peter Tassoni, Thurston County Emergency Management Manager, in a news release.
Residents can sign up for alerts by visiting tcalert.org or texting Thurston to 67283 from a mobile phone.
In flood situations, residents also can get sandbags to protect buildings and areas from inundation. Information on how to get sandbags can be found on the Thurston County Emergency Management website.
This story was originally published November 30, 2022 at 11:25 AM.
