High winds threatened to tear down more trees and power lines Sunday night as thousands in Pierce and Thurston counties continue to wait for their electricity to return in the wake of a snow and ice storm.
The National Weather Service warned of 20-30 mph winds with gusts up to 45 mph hammering the region through Sunday night.
Puget Sound Energy said its crews had restored power to 80 percent of its customers but 75,000 homes and businesses remain in the dark and the cold. About 12,000 of those are in Pierce County.
“Overall we’ve made some significant progress,” PSE spokesman Roger Thompson said. “We’re all holding our breaths with the winds projected. That could cause all kinds of headaches.”
Thompson said some in the hardest-hit areas – Puyallup, Kapowsin, Orting, Lakewood, Sumner and Lake Tapps – could have power back as soon as tonight but some may have to wait until Wednesday.
Tacoma Power said it still has 600 to 800 customers without electricity.
The outages caused several school districts to start late today or reduce bus service. Check the full report at schoolreport.org.
Despite rain, Pierce County Public Works and Utilities made significant progress Sunday reopening roads. They started the morning with 33 areas affected by lane closures and ended the day with only nine, all of which they could not access due to downed power lines. Safety regulations prevent the county crews from coming within 10 feet of a power line. More than 80 workers were on shift Sunday, and eight wood chippers were used to clear debris piled up along roads.
“Crews take this work very seriously,” said Bruce Wagner, road operations manager. “We know this is public safety, and we want to get this project complete before the next round of storms.”
Temperatures will hover in the low to mid-40s through the next few days.
Winds could pick up slightly Tuesday, according to the Weather Service, gusting as high as 33 mph.
Forecasters also expect another 6-12 inches of snow in the Cascades.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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