Weather updates: Howling winds batter Pierce County. Power out across region
Wind and rain overnight left tens of thousands without power across Pierce County and the Puget Sound region Wednesday morning.
Many schools also were delayed or closed in Pierce County.
Tacoma Power reported more than 17,000 customers without electricity as of 6:30 a.m., with Puget Sound Energy and Peninsula Light Co. also reporting thousands out across their service areas.
Trees were down across roads throughout the region, with KIRO-TV reporting that a tree had crashed into a home in Tacoma. Interstate 5 was reopened by 4 a.m. in the Mounts Road area near Joint Base Lewis-McChord after both directions of traffic were blocked due to a downed high-voltage power line.
Blizzard conditions were reported in the mountain passes, with the National Weather Service saying wind gusts hit speeds of 112 mph at Alpental, 99 mph at White Pass and 82 mph at Snoqualmie Pass.
In Pierce County, the highest wind speed was recorded at 100 mph in Chinook Pass. Other gusts were reported at 75 mph on Crystal Mountain, 64 mph at Sunrise on Mount Rainier, 51 mph in Tacoma and 36 mph at JBLM.
A high wind warning remained in effect until 10 a.m.
Tacoma Fire Department spokesperson Chelsea Shepherd said crews were called out to 10 reports overnight for downed power lines, nine of which were from fallen trees and branches. No injuries were reported. The Fire Department also responded to a small mudslide in the Browns Point area, but Shepherd said it did not affect the roadway.
Crews responded to four more calls for trees and power lines down in roadways and on cars and homes between 6 and 9 a.m.
School delays/closures
These are the latest closures and delays reported by local school districts. Please check with your individual district for the latest information.
- Derienger: two hours late, with North Tapps Middle School on regularly scheduled two-hour late start.
- Sumner-Bonney Lake: Closed.
- Clover Park: Closed.
- Steilacoom: Closed, no preschool. All Steilacoom High School evening activities will take place as scheduled.
- Bethel: Closed. Morning classes at the Pierce County Skills Center are also canceled.
- Carbonado School District: Closed.
- White River School District: Closed.
- Orting School District: Closed.
- Puyallup School District: Closed
- Pope John Paul II High School: Closed
Power outages
More than 67,000 customers were without power in Pierce County as of 7 a.m., according to poweroutage.us. Puget Sound Energy said it brought additional crews from outside the region to help restore power.
Most of the outages don’t yet have an estimated time of when power will come back on. The Tacoma Public Utilities’ outage map had 2 p.m. as the earliest estimated restoration, but many other estimates are pending. TPU said over 20,000 customers didn’t have power before 5 a.m.
Damage is scattered throughout the region, and Puget Sound Energy said Pierce, Thurston, Island and Skagit counties had the most significant impacts. Pierce County reportedly had more outages than any other county in Puget Sound Energy’s service area with more than 53,000 customers without power.
The Peninsula Light Company also reported outages, with 1,283 customers in the dark as of 7 a.m. Earlier in the morning, Peninsula Light Company said crews were making progress in restoration efforts, and the affected areas included Fox Island, Wollochet and Peacock Hill/Olalla in the Gig Harbor area, as well as Rocky Creek, Home and Lake Drive on Key Peninsula.
The Tanner Electric Cooperative, which serves Anderson Island, said just after 4 a.m. that there were multiple trees down across roads, and their crews were trying to facilitate clearing them to access damaged lines. A reported 432 customers were without power at 7:30 a.m.
Fallen trees and struck power lines close roads
Strong winds downed trees and branches in the Tacoma area, leaving debris on sidewalks and roadways.
In Lakewood, the Police Department said Gravelly Lake Drive was closed between Lake Steilacoom Drive and Tower Road due to a tree leaning on power lines. Pierce County Public Works’ road status map shows about a half dozen new road closures Wednesday morning.
In Tacoma’s North End neighborhood, a tree fell across Yakima Avenue, closing the road between 4th and 5th streets. The tree damaged two cars, shattering one of the vehicles’ windshield.
This story was originally published December 17, 2025 at 6:51 AM.
