EVERETT — Just when Snohomish County residents thought they had weathered the storm, high winds across the county Monday led to widespread power outages.
And even stronger winds are expected to arrive Tuesday evening.
The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning for the lowlands of northwest Snohomish County. Winds are expected to be between 25 and 40 mph with gusts reaching 50 to 55 mph.
“Destructive winds will bring down trees and power lines,” the warning states. “Widespread power outages are expected. Travel will be difficult, especially for high-end vehicles.”
The weather service initially issued a wind advisory Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning, which warned of the possibility of wind gusts of up to 45 mph.
Additionally, a flood warning for the Skykomish River near Gold Bar has been extended until Thursday morning.
As of 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, the Skykomish was at 13 feet. It is expected to fall 12.4 feet Tuesday morning before rising again to 17.7 feet Tuesday evening, more than two feet above flood stage.
The river last crested at 17.7 feet in December 1982.
After last week’s record flooding, which put 800 people in unincorporated Snohomish County under evacuation orders and left many stranded due to high floodwaters, the region could see winds of 35 to 50 mph Tuesday, Anna Lindeman, a weather service meteorologist, said in an interview Tuesday.
Winds are expected to strengthen throughout Tuesday afternoon, Lindeman said. The forecast shows two main surges, one around the evening commute and another between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m., she said. The first surge is expected to bring winds of 35 to 40 mph, with the second surge bringing gusts closer to 40 to 50 mph.
“What makes this kind of unusual is that typically the Everett area sees winds coming from the south, but these will be coming from the northwest, so things like trees might be a little more likely to fall,” Lindeman said.
On Wednesday, gusts were expected to slow to around 25 mph, she said.
More than 16,000 people were without power as of 3:15 p.m. Monday, including in areas around Darrington, Arlington, Granite Falls and Everett, according to the Snohomish Public Utility District’s power outage map. PUD spokesman Aaron Swaney said crews were finishing work on most of the restoration efforts early Tuesday.
“A lot of our crews are going to rest for the rest of the day and prepare for tonight,” Swaney said in an interview Tuesday. “They will be stationed and ready to respond this evening if we see any outages.”
Since the winds are coming from the west, Swaney said Camano Island and the western edge of Snohomish County could be the hardest hit areas.
The utility district is warning of possible multi-day power outages due to overloading and encourages people to prepare for expected weather by having extra food and water on hand. The district also advises people to charge their electronic devices and get alternative light sources and ways to stay warm.
For power outage updates or to report an outage, visit outagemap.snopud.com/. People can also sign up to receive text message updates at snopud.com/outages.
Eliza Aronson: 425 339-3434; eliza.aronson@heraldnet.com; X: @ElizaAronson.
Eliza’s stories are supported by the Herald’s Environmental and Climate Reporting Fund.
Michael Henneke: 425 339-3431; michael.henneke@heraldnet.com; X: @ihenpecked
Jenna Peterson: 425 339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.
Gallery
