Post by ferryfast admin on Feb 6, 2006 1:39:40 GMT -5
High winds wreak havoc in Western Washington
SEATTLE (AP) — Fierce winds downed trees and power lines across Western Washington and Oregon on Saturday, leaving at least 160,000 homes and businesses in the dark. The gusts subsided as darkness fell, and power was restored to at least 50,000 by day's end.
The floating bridge across Lake Washington was closed for the first time in nearly seven years due to high winds.
Washington State Department of Transportation, AP
A Kalama woman — Ingrid J. Davis. 38 — died while driving near the Wahkiakum-Cowlitz County line in southwest Washington when a tree fell on her car, the Washington State Patrol reported.
There were no immediate reports of other deaths, injuries or widespread property damage. But traffic had to be diverted off some roads in the region because of flooding, shifting or sinking asphalt, falling trees or downed power lines.
The storm forced closure of the floating bridge that takes State Route 520 across Lake Washington east of Seattle for the first time in nearly seven years. Crews hoped to have it reopened early Sunday.
High water, heavy winds and a mudslide prompted a 48-hour shutdown of passenger rail service north of Seattle.
Washington State Ferries shut down the Port Townsend-Keystone ferry run connecting the northeast tip of the Olympic Peninsula and Whidbey Island because of choppy waters on Puget Sound.
And Seattle's zoo shut down because of concerns that winds would topple trees.
In the coastal town of Westport, the Grays Harbor County Emergency and Risk Management Office said some waterfront motels were evacuated as a precaution.
KBKW Radio in nearby Aberdeen said several boats broke loose from their moorings in Westport overnight. Some small campers were blown into the water, and the seawall that protects the marina suffered minor damage, the station reported.
About 20 miles south of Aberdeen, some parts of Raymond were under 2 feet of water, KBKW reported. Traffic in downtown Raymond was limited to emergency vehicles.
The National Weather Service said it had received reports of 45 mph winds in Seattle, with gusts over 50 mph in West Seattle. Gusts of more than 60 mph were reported in Jefferson County on the Olympic Peninsula.
The highest wind speed was the 78 mph reported in Sedro Woolley, about 75 miles north of Seattle. Wind speeds in the high 60s were reported on the coast and on Puget Sound waters, the agency said.
The 520 bridge, one of two spans connecting Seattle to its eastern suburbs, was closed in both directions around 9:30 a.m., after winds exceeded 50 mph, the state Department of Transportation said.
Crews opened the draw span at the center of the bridge to relieve pressure on the 42-year-old span, Transportation spokeswoman Melanie Coon said. The last time it was shut down during a storm was in March 1999, she said.
The bridge was inspected later in the day as winds died down. "Only minor repairs will be needed," Coon said. The work began late Saturday and was expected to wrap up early Sunday, she said.
Puget Sound Energy spokeswoman Lynn Carlson said power was restored by midnight to about 50,000 of the 140,000 customers who lost power during the storm. She said hard-hit areas — particularly in Kitsap, Jefferson and Island counties west and northwest of Seattle — could be without power for several days.
There were also outages in Thurston and Pierce counties south of Seattle, and in part of King County north of the city. Seattle City Light said it had about 20,000 customers without power.
The storm also swept across rain-battered western Oregon, where hundreds of people flocked to the coast to see high waves whipped up by the winds.
At the height of the storm, about 32,000 people in Western Oregon lost power, according to estimates provided by Portland General Electric. Crews had reduced that number to about 18,000 by early afternoon.
Gus Melonas, a spokesman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe, said the railroad ordered a 48-hour shutdown of passenger rail service between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia, at 1:25 p.m. Saturday.
Crews were working to clear a 3-foot-deep mudslide north of Seattle's Carkeek Park.
Melonas said the closures affected Amtrak service and Sound Transit's Sounder commuter trains, which run in the morning and evening commute hours Monday through Friday. Bus service was being arranged.
The closure did not halt freight traffic.
In Eastern Washington, a freight train carrying furniture derailed about 45 miles west of Spokane, blocking passenger rail traffic between Portland and Spokane. No one was injured, and the cause of that accident remained under investigation.
Melonas said the railroad was working to develop alternative routes for freight traffic, and that Amtrak passengers would be bused between Portland and Spokane.
Washington State Ferries spokeswoman Susan Harris said service on the Port Townsend-Keystone run would not resume until the windy weather subsided.
Storm damage at the Clinton ferry dock at the south end of Whidbey Island was causing some delays there, and ferries were running behind schedule on most other routes, Harris said.
To the east, the weather service said heavy snow and wind in the Cascades would make driving conditions "treacherous."
A coastal flood warning will remain in effect through 6 a.m. Sunday, with swells as high as 35 feet, the agency said. Powerful waves were expected to cause "extensive beach run up, substantial erosion, and possible damage to structures along exposed shorelines," the weather service said.
At Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, spokeswoman Gigi Allianic said the main safety concern was that trees could fall and injure visitors or damage cages and allow animals to escape. The weather service said the threat of falling trees was high because soil was saturated after a long stretch of rain.
Forecasters said the weather would begin clearing up Sunday, after a chance of early morning showers. The forecast called for partly cloudy skies throughout the rest of the week.
"We're due for a brief break here," said Danny Mercer, a meteorologist in the weather service's Seattle office.
Contributing: Associated Press Writer Julia Silverman in contributed to this story from Portland, Ore.
SEATTLE (AP) — Fierce winds downed trees and power lines across Western Washington and Oregon on Saturday, leaving at least 160,000 homes and businesses in the dark. The gusts subsided as darkness fell, and power was restored to at least 50,000 by day's end.
The floating bridge across Lake Washington was closed for the first time in nearly seven years due to high winds.
Washington State Department of Transportation, AP
A Kalama woman — Ingrid J. Davis. 38 — died while driving near the Wahkiakum-Cowlitz County line in southwest Washington when a tree fell on her car, the Washington State Patrol reported.
There were no immediate reports of other deaths, injuries or widespread property damage. But traffic had to be diverted off some roads in the region because of flooding, shifting or sinking asphalt, falling trees or downed power lines.
The storm forced closure of the floating bridge that takes State Route 520 across Lake Washington east of Seattle for the first time in nearly seven years. Crews hoped to have it reopened early Sunday.
High water, heavy winds and a mudslide prompted a 48-hour shutdown of passenger rail service north of Seattle.
Washington State Ferries shut down the Port Townsend-Keystone ferry run connecting the northeast tip of the Olympic Peninsula and Whidbey Island because of choppy waters on Puget Sound.
And Seattle's zoo shut down because of concerns that winds would topple trees.
In the coastal town of Westport, the Grays Harbor County Emergency and Risk Management Office said some waterfront motels were evacuated as a precaution.
KBKW Radio in nearby Aberdeen said several boats broke loose from their moorings in Westport overnight. Some small campers were blown into the water, and the seawall that protects the marina suffered minor damage, the station reported.
About 20 miles south of Aberdeen, some parts of Raymond were under 2 feet of water, KBKW reported. Traffic in downtown Raymond was limited to emergency vehicles.
The National Weather Service said it had received reports of 45 mph winds in Seattle, with gusts over 50 mph in West Seattle. Gusts of more than 60 mph were reported in Jefferson County on the Olympic Peninsula.
The highest wind speed was the 78 mph reported in Sedro Woolley, about 75 miles north of Seattle. Wind speeds in the high 60s were reported on the coast and on Puget Sound waters, the agency said.
The 520 bridge, one of two spans connecting Seattle to its eastern suburbs, was closed in both directions around 9:30 a.m., after winds exceeded 50 mph, the state Department of Transportation said.
Crews opened the draw span at the center of the bridge to relieve pressure on the 42-year-old span, Transportation spokeswoman Melanie Coon said. The last time it was shut down during a storm was in March 1999, she said.
The bridge was inspected later in the day as winds died down. "Only minor repairs will be needed," Coon said. The work began late Saturday and was expected to wrap up early Sunday, she said.
Puget Sound Energy spokeswoman Lynn Carlson said power was restored by midnight to about 50,000 of the 140,000 customers who lost power during the storm. She said hard-hit areas — particularly in Kitsap, Jefferson and Island counties west and northwest of Seattle — could be without power for several days.
There were also outages in Thurston and Pierce counties south of Seattle, and in part of King County north of the city. Seattle City Light said it had about 20,000 customers without power.
The storm also swept across rain-battered western Oregon, where hundreds of people flocked to the coast to see high waves whipped up by the winds.
At the height of the storm, about 32,000 people in Western Oregon lost power, according to estimates provided by Portland General Electric. Crews had reduced that number to about 18,000 by early afternoon.
Gus Melonas, a spokesman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe, said the railroad ordered a 48-hour shutdown of passenger rail service between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia, at 1:25 p.m. Saturday.
Crews were working to clear a 3-foot-deep mudslide north of Seattle's Carkeek Park.
Melonas said the closures affected Amtrak service and Sound Transit's Sounder commuter trains, which run in the morning and evening commute hours Monday through Friday. Bus service was being arranged.
The closure did not halt freight traffic.
In Eastern Washington, a freight train carrying furniture derailed about 45 miles west of Spokane, blocking passenger rail traffic between Portland and Spokane. No one was injured, and the cause of that accident remained under investigation.
Melonas said the railroad was working to develop alternative routes for freight traffic, and that Amtrak passengers would be bused between Portland and Spokane.
Washington State Ferries spokeswoman Susan Harris said service on the Port Townsend-Keystone run would not resume until the windy weather subsided.
Storm damage at the Clinton ferry dock at the south end of Whidbey Island was causing some delays there, and ferries were running behind schedule on most other routes, Harris said.
To the east, the weather service said heavy snow and wind in the Cascades would make driving conditions "treacherous."
A coastal flood warning will remain in effect through 6 a.m. Sunday, with swells as high as 35 feet, the agency said. Powerful waves were expected to cause "extensive beach run up, substantial erosion, and possible damage to structures along exposed shorelines," the weather service said.
At Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, spokeswoman Gigi Allianic said the main safety concern was that trees could fall and injure visitors or damage cages and allow animals to escape. The weather service said the threat of falling trees was high because soil was saturated after a long stretch of rain.
Forecasters said the weather would begin clearing up Sunday, after a chance of early morning showers. The forecast called for partly cloudy skies throughout the rest of the week.
"We're due for a brief break here," said Danny Mercer, a meteorologist in the weather service's Seattle office.
Contributing: Associated Press Writer Julia Silverman in contributed to this story from Portland, Ore.