High winds Friday caused three major power outages in Clallam and Jefferson counties, briefly leaving 1,570 customers without electricity.
Outages were reported in the Forks, Deer Park, Indian Island and Marrowstone Island areas.
In all cases, power was quickly restored by Clallam County and Jefferson County public utility district crews.
The first outage hit in the Deer Park area at 10 a.m. when a tree hit a power line. Crews removed the tree from the line by 10:48 a.m., according to the Clallam County PUD. At 3 p.m., about 500 customers in the Quillayute area lost power. Crews restored power by 3:28 p.m.
A tree in a line caused an outage at 4:10 p.m. to both Indian and Marrowstone islands, said Jefferson PUD Communications Director Will O’Donnell. This outage affected 800 customers. He said crews restored electrical power before 5 p.m.
According to National Weather Service meteorologist Mary Butin, wind gusts of 33 miles an hour were recorded in Port Angeles on Friday and gusts of 35 mph were recorded in Port Townsend. Interestingly, no major gusts were recorded in the Forks area despite the outage there.
Other parts of the state had more serious problems, with nearly 50,000 customers affected in western Washington.
The majority of Whidbey Island experienced a prolonged power outage for most residents with power going out at 11:30 a.m. Friday, according to The Everett Herald. On Friday evening, more than 34,800 customers remained without power in Anacortes, La Conner and other areas near Whidbey Island.
Residents on Camano Island lost power around 11:15 a.m. Friday because of equipment damage on a transmission line, said Aaron Swaney, a spokesman for the Snohomish County Public Utility District. About 14,500 PUD customers, including some in Stanwood, remained without power as of Friday evening.
On Whidbey Island, traffic lights at some highway intersections were out, creating minor motorist confusion. Grocery stores with generators were open.
The Clinton ferry terminal has a generator and service to Mukilteo remained on schedule.
