Winds gusted to 78 mph on the Pacific coast this morning and traces of snow were seen on some East Jefferson County roadways as a winter-like storm made its way to shore.
The National Weather Service said the cold front will slam into the North Olympic Peninsula by early afternoon and make its way into southern Vancouver Island.
Portions of East Jefferson County saw light lowland snow accumulations in this morning. A snow plow pushed slushy snow off state Highway 20 north of Eaglemount Road this morning, and snow fell on Gardiner on U.S. Highway 101.
“Kitsap County, Hood Canal and a few other places got light accumulations of wet, sloppy stuff sticking to roadways here and there,” Ted Buehner, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle, said this morning.
Any lingering lowland snow will melt quickly once the front passes, Buehner added.
A strong pressure gradient drove an east wind through a choppy Strait of Juan de Fuca this morning.
The wind is expected to shift this afternoon and intensify as it comes from the west, Buehner said.
The National Weather Service reported sustained winds of 68 mph and a 78-mph gust at Destruction Island off the Pacific Coast in West Jefferson County this morning.
Tatoosh Island on the northwest tip of Clallam County reported 41 mph winds and a 47-mph gust, Buehner said.
Port Angeles had a high gust of 25 mph at William R. Fairchild Memorial Airport at about 8 a.m.
Wind gusted to 41 mph in Forks at about 8:30 a.m.
The Clallam County Public Utility District and Puget Sound Energy reported no widespread power outages as of this morning.
Hood Canal Bridge, which the state Department of Transportation warned may close today, was open as of 11 a.m.
A high wind warning remains in effect for the lowlands. A winter storm warning is in effect for the Olympic Mountains.
________
Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
