SEATTLE -- People in Western Washington are waking up to a mess this morning after winds of up to 45 miles an hour caused a lot of damage overnight.
The winds are still blowing, but not nearly as hard as yesterday. From Bellingham to Olympia, gusts topping 45 miles an hour left a trail of damage. Pocket areas around Western Washington were hit hard by gusty winds, which downed trees and utility lines.
"When the wind was getting really bad, we just heard a huge crash that shook the entire house," said Neil Walker, Edmonds homeowner.
The tree next to Walker's house fell over in the high winds. The huge tree's snapped and hit the side of the house and the fence.
"It just happened. There was no creaking or like it sounded weakening. All of a sudden it just snapped at once," said Walker.
Fallen trees were also in problem in Seattle's Phinney Ridge neighborhood. Palatine Street is reportedly blocked by a downed tree this morning.
And the winds caused problems not just on land but on water as well. One sail boat's sails were shredded by the wind so it needed a tow in.
Winds knock out power to thousands
Gusty winds also cut off power for several thousand residents overnight.
With electrical lines down, power was knocked out for hours in downtown Edmonds, forcing some businesses to close.
Seattle City Light reported about 9,000 residents with power outages in Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Georgetown, West Seattle and Greenwood. In Snohomish County, about 11,000 customers were without power, mainly in Lynnwood and Edmonds.
Power lines and trees were down across Kitsap County and power outages were reported on Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo, Hansville, and in Bremerton.
By Wednesday morning, Seattle City Light crews had powered restored to most areas with a few remaining pocket outages left. They expect to restore power to those residents later Wednesday.
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