Power outages, trees down in Pierce, Thurston counties as ‘bomb cyclone’ hits western WA
Power outages are beginning in the Puget Sound area as “bomb cyclone” conditions hit western Washington with strong winds and rough weather Tuesday evening.
Here’s a round-up of current outages. Check www.pse.com/en/outage/outage-map for the full list of outages and estimated restoration times.
Puget Sound Energy web troubles
Update: PSE.com and its outage map were operational at 9:15 p.m.
PSE was reporting scattered outages in the Lake Tapps area, north Puyallup, Bonney Lake, Buckley and Enumclaw.
Previous post: Regional power supplier Puget Sound Energy’s online outage map and website were experiencing technical difficulties Tuesday evening.
The utility said on X at 7:41 p.m that it was working to re-establish its online presence as quickly as possible.
Eatonville
The Eatonville School District announced that classes and school activities would be canceled Wednesday due to storm impacts.
“Due to widespread power outages, fallen trees, and high winds in some areas, school is canceled on Wednesday, November 20th,” the district reported Tuesday evening on Facebook. “All school buildings are closed for the day. All after school activities are also canceled. Out-of-district transportation is canceled for the day. We hope everyone remains safe and warm.”
Tacoma Public Utilities
Tacoma Public Utilities was reporting 24 outages affecting 4,962 customers throughout its service area, mostly south of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, at 9:43 p.m.
Trees down on SR 167
Update at 8:33 p.m.: The trees have been cleared.
Previous post: Two lanes were blocked on northbound state Route 167 near the Stewart Road/Jovita Boulevard East interchange at 8:13 p.m., WSDOT reported.
Anderson Island
A system-wide outage beginning at 6:07 p.m. might leave Anderson Island residents without power overnight, as Puget Sound Energy deals with issues on the mainland affecting service to the island, according to an X post by Tanner Electric Cooperative. The island crew is currently helping with storm-related repairs in North Bend, according to the post.
Olympia area
A few scattered outages were reported around Thurston County as of 9:45 p.m., including a few in the Yelm area, according to Puget Sound Energy’s outage map.
McKenna-Yelm
An outage in the Roy area began at 5:02 p.m., impacting 1,397 customers. The cause is under investigation. Estimated restoration time is 8:30 p.m.
Two outages in Yelm began at 5:10 and 5:15 p.m. respectively, impacting 197. Estimated restoration time for both is 9:30 p.m.
Sumner area
Updated: Cleared as of 7:12 p.m.
Previous post: The Washington State Department of Transportation reported trees limbs down with possibly power lines also down on state Route 410 east of Sumner at 6:35 p.m.
Eatonville area
WSDOT report: “Trees down on SR 7 southbound from milepost 25.92 near La Grande Rd E to milepost 31 near Ohop Valley Rd E [West-End] beginning at 7:01 pm on November 19, 2024 until further notice.”
Snoqualmie Pass
At 7:39 p.m., WSDOT was reporting snow and ice in places on Interstate 90 over Snoqualmie Pass with “strong gusty winds, blowing snow, poor visibility.”
State Route 18 shut down
Drivers trying to reach Interstate 90 using state Route 18 from points south will need to seek alternate routes.
Downed trees have the highway closed in both directions between Issaquah-Hobart Road and I-90, WSDOT reported about 8 p.m. There is no estimate for when it would reopen.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published November 19, 2024 at 6:51 PM.
