The windstorm predicted to hit the North Olympic Peninsula on Thursday died down as it came ashore.
With two major, damaging windstorms in recent memory, North Olympic Peninsula road and power managers were ready and wary Thursday as the storm pushed into the region.
No one was certain just how bad the storm would be as it approached the Pacific Coast.
The National Weather Service in Seattle revised its forecast twice in 12 hours.
The first warnings were put in place Thursday morning — storm warnings for the Pacific Ocean off the coast, warnings of sustained winds of 60 to 70 miles per hour for the Pacific Ocean coast and East Jefferson County, and a wind advisory of 45 miles per hour for Joyce, Port Angeles and Sequim.
Wind speeds were expected to be most severe between 5 p.m. and
6 p.m.
The storm weakened as it came ashore, so the weather service downgraded forecast wind speeds to no more than 50 or 60 miles per hour at about 2 p.m.
Public utility districts and law enforcement agencies took a wait-and-see stance Thursday afternoon.
“We’re always on standby. We can’t predict where trees will fall,” said Mike Howe, spokesman for the Clallam County PUD.
Clallam County Sheriff’s Office deputies were on patrol and it was “business as usual,” said Brian King, chief criminal deputy and spokesman.
Because windstorms such as the one approaching are common during winter, deputies carry chain saws and stay ready to alert Clallam County and state Department of Transportation road crews as needed to keep roads open, King said.
Jim Parker, Jefferson County Public Utility District manager, said an extra crew was hired to help with possible electrical outages caused by the impending storm.
The region has already been badly damaged by two major windstorms this year, storms that were bad enough to warrant aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Parker said.
While the extra crew will cost more to keep on standby, it is better to be prepared, he said.
Power was cut to thousands of customers after storms on Aug. 29 and Nov. 17, when trees crashed down onto power poles.
In some areas, power was restored within hours to hundreds of customers at a time, but it took several days to reach customers in more remote areas, where the damage was to small lines leading to only one or two homes.
The State Patrol had no specific preparation in place for the storm, said Trooper Russ Winger, spokesman for the State Patrol.
“We will react as needed. Hopefully the power stays on,” Winger said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
