PORT TOWNSEND — Washington State Ferries has announced that due to severe winds and rough seas forecast for the remainder of Monday, it is possible that Port Townsend-Coupeville route service will be canceled for the rest of the day.
The announcement Monday afternoon follows cancellations of sailings on the route throughout Monday morning due to high winds.
Conditions will be re-assessed at each scheduled departure and State Ferries will make every effort to safely return to service as soon as possible, according to the announcement.
Status updates will be provided prior to each scheduled departure.
Alternate routes are Edmonds-Kingston and Mukilteo-Clinton.
Reservation holders will not be penalized if they do not travel.
Reservation holders will prioritized if and when service resumes.
Those without reservations will be loaded on a space-available basis and might be turned away due to limited space in the vehicle holding areas.
For more information, visit https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries.
Power outages
Monday’s severe weather was also causing power outages in Jefferson and Clallam counties on Monday.
The Jefferson Public Utility District reported that 811 customers were without power as of 1:25 p.m. after power had been restored for customers in the Quilcene area.
Clallam County PUD reported Monday morning that about 1,000 customers were without power on the far east and west ends of the county. Power was restored to all customers as of 12 p.m.
Wind warning
At 7:22 a.m. Monday, the National Weather Service office in Seattle issued a high wind warning for the Admiralty Inlet area until 4 a.m. Tuesday.
Winds were forecast to increase from 25 to 40 mph with gusts near 60 mph into Monday night. The Weather Service forecasted winds would be strongest from Monday afternoon through late evening.
The NWS also warned that damage from snapped tree branches and downed trees will be widespread and that area residents should expect power outages.
Clallam County areas west of Port Townsend were not included in the 7:22 a.m. warning.
