The North Olympic Peninsula began to recover Wednesday from Tuesday’s storm, with power restored to most customers and most roads reopened after high water receded and fallen trees were cleared.
Most of the immediate damage and debris from Tuesday’s storm had been cleared from state, city and county roads Wednesday, although several areas of Olympic National Park remained closed.
In Jefferson County, about 800 customers remained without power Wednesday afternoon, said Jim Parker, general manager of the Jefferson Public Utility District.
Most should be restored by Thursday afternoon, Parker said.
“Most of [Port Townsend] was out Tuesday,” he said.
Main transmission lines to the city were taken down by the winds and falling trees.
Parker said that at the height of the storm Tuesday afternoon, as many as 12,000 customers were in the dark.
In Clallam County, only about five customers remained without power Wednesday afternoon, and all were expected to be restored by the end of the day, said Mike Howe, spokesman for the Clallam County PUD.
Most of those remaining without power were in Carlsborg and west of Sequim, Howe said.
Approximately 3,000 customers were without power in central and eastern Clallam County at the storm’s height Tuesday. They were mostly from Port Angeles east to Diamond Point, Howe said.
The National Weather Service reported peak wind gusts of 60 mph on the North Olympic Peninsula during the height of the storm.
The top gust was recorded at a weather station near Sappho.
In Clallam County, wind gusts were recorded at 48 mph at Quillayute Airport, 47 mph at William R. Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles and 46 mph at a site north of Sequim.
In Jefferson County, the top gusts were 53 mph in Port Ludlow and 52 mph in Brinnon.
Some Olympic National Park roads reopened Wednesday, while others remained closed due to flood and wind damage or snow.
Mora Road to Rialto Beach, Kalaloch, Ozette, the Lake Crescent area and Heart o’ the Hills Campground reopened Wednesday.
Park areas remaining closed were Upper Hoh Road, Sol Duc Road, Queets River Road and North Shore Quinault.
Olympic Hot Springs Road in the Elwha River valley remained closed at the park entry station because of flooding and other damage.
Hurricane Ridge also remained closed because of snow. It is expected to reopen for the winter season Nov. 27.
On Wednesday, wind-scoured snow at the Waterhole Snotel weather station, near Hurricane Ridge, measured 20 inches. That’s 126 percent of average for Nov. 18.
The storm left 8 inches of snow at the Dungeness Snotel weather station, 400 percent of the average 0.4 inches of snow usually measured at the station south of Sequim.
Mount Crag Snotel site, west of Brinnon, measured 13 inches, or 157 percent of average.
There were 17 inches of snow at Buckinghorse Snotel station, located on a ridge overlooking the southern Elwha River valley.
Buckinghorse has been in operation since 2008 and has not yet established a long-term average.
Forecasters expect clear skies and colder temperatures during the rest of the week.
Temperatures will be in the low- to mid-30s overnight, with daily high temperatures in the mid- to high-40s across the region, said Allen Kam, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle.
A slight chance of snow in the lowlands is predicted as a colder system moves into the area Monday.
Falling trees killed three people in Washington state and cut power to more than 350,000 residents, The Associated Press said.
A woman in her 50s was killed when a tree fell in Spokane. A man in his mid-20s died when a tree crushed his car as he was driving in Snohomish County, authorities said. Both people’s identities were not available.
The third victim, identified by authorities as Carolyn M. Wilford, 70, died of head injuries after a tree landed on her car on Highway 904 about 15 miles southwest of Spokane.
Puget Sound Energy said more than 30 transmission lines were badly damaged and about 100,000 customers were still without power early Wednesday.
The Snohomish County PUD tweeted that about 130,000 of its customers lacked power.
Avista Corp. was trying to restore power to more than 142,000 customers, most in Spokane County and northern Idaho.
Gusts reached 100 mph near Wenatchee and 80 mph near Mattawa.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
The AP contributed to this report.
