This story was originally published on mynorthwest.com.
The powerful windstorm that swept through western Washington Friday and Saturday has impacted residents throughout the northwest, leaving thousands in the dark and roads impassable.
Close to 12,000 customers lost power at the peak of the outages, due to fallen trees, flying branches and downed power lines.
As of 9:00 a.m. Saturday, that number was down to just under 8,000 homes and businesses still in the dark.
As utility crews work extra hours to restore power, there were also reports of trees across local roadways.
A tree fell across SR 900, also known as Renton-Issaquah Road S.E., near 164th S.E.
That’s near near the well-known Jay Berry’s Cafe, for drivers familiar with SR 900 in that area.
State troopers say vehicles were able to get around the downed tree, alternating eastbound and westbound, by driving on a single lane around the downed branches.
In Skyway, a fallen tree also blocked cars and trucks from using Renton Avenue at S. 132nd.
The Washington State Patrol also reported multiple trees down near Lake Crescent on the Olympic Peninsula.
That incident blocked the eastbound lanes of U.S. 101 at Barnes Creek.
As of 9:00 a.m. Saturday, Puget Sound Energy reported about 6,700 customers still without power.
The majority of those, according to Poweroutage.com, are in Skagit County, where more than 3,900 residents are waiting for their power to be restored.
Seattle Public Utilities reported about 300 customers still do not have electricity.
The Snohomish County PUD says it has about 60 homes and businesses still without power, while Tacoma Public Utilities has about 30.
More high winds are in store for the Puget Sound region, although not as strong as we felt Friday evening.
The forecast is for more gusty conditions, winds from 10 to 20 miles per hour, partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the lower 50s.
