High winds roll through Snoqualmie Valley over weekend, 60mph gusts, trees down, power out to some

UPDATE |  January 8th, 4:45pm

A resident reported a tree down on a power line on Tokul Road in Snoqualmie, with the tree on fire. Power was out about 150 customers in this area.

Another resident reported slick roadways on eastbound I-90 starting around exit 27 with cars in ditches on both sides of the eastbound lanes.

A snowplow made it to Cedar Falls Road in North Bend as numerous vehicles were having trouble making it up the steep roadway.

Winds were beginning to ease in Snoqualmie as of 4:45PM.


UPDATE | JANUARY 8th, 3:15pm

Pockets of North Bend and Fall City lost power late Sunday morning due to strong winds. Residents in Wilderness Rim and Edgewick areas of North Bend reported trees had come down.

Windy and stormy weather has also hit areas farther west, including Bellevue, and PSE says it’s doing its best to restore power to all customers.

About 350 homes in Wilderness Rim are currently without power and the PSE outage map does not list an estimated restoration time. There are also multiple outages in the Black Diamond/Maple Valley area.

Heavy precipitation is the form of rain, hail, sleet and snow has also been reported throughout the upper Snoqualmie Valley – along with strong winds that have plagued the area since early Saturday morning.

The National Weather Service said that east to west pressure gradients were beginning to weaken as of 3:30pm and expected winds in the foothills to ease through the evening –  which would also allow the wintery precipitation to change over to just rain.

 


ORIGINAL STORY The winds in the Snoqualmie Valley started in the early hours of Saturday, January 7, 2017. The National Weather Service said they were watching those winds to see if a Wind Advisory was needed.  A few windy hours later that advisory was posted, stating the winds should start easing by Sunday morning.

Well, early Sunday morning rolled around, the winds continued and that advisory was extended until 6PM, January 8th.  The winds then got stronger later Sunday morning and that wind advisory is now a High Wind Warning, which runs through Sunday evening.

Weather stations around North Bend and Snoqualmie have been picking up gusts over 40mph all morning. One weather station on Snoqualmie Ridge registered a gust over 60mph. The North Bend ES station picked up at 57mph gust.

There’s been one report of a downed tree hitting a Snoqualmie Ridge home, with what appeared to be [hopefully] only minor damage. Construction site fences have also been blown down on the Ridge.

Snoqualmie home hit by falling tree, 1/8/17

The National Weather Service says the blustery east winds should stay in the 25-40mph range, with gusts up to 60mph near the gaps in the Cascades – i.e. Snoqualmie Pass. Winds are predicted to begin easing later Sunday afternoon or into the evening.

Moisture is also on the way into area and although temperatures are above freezing (upper 30’s currently), dew points are being kept low due to the cold, dry east wind – so some sleet and freezing rain could be possible. The dry wind, though, can also evaporate moisture before it ever makes it to ground level.

 

Weather station on Snoqualmie Ridge shows wind speed (blue line) and wind gusts (orange dots) on Sunday, January 8, 2017.

 


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