Rain and high winds snarled traffic and knocked out power to ten…
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Jeff Yates takes advantage of the high winds and kiteboards on Lake Coeur d’Alene, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren). In addition, strong winds could down trees and cause power outages in some areas. Spokane County Emergency Management officials urged early dismissal for employees in the area after forecasts showed extreme winds gusts. Also shut down were Gonzaga, Whitworth, Washington State-Spokane and Eastern Washington universities.
Fallen trees blocked streets and slowed commutes in Spokane, and officials asked people to stay home and off roadways if possible.
A woman in her 50s was killed when a tree fell in Spokane.
The third victim, identified by authorities as Carolyn M. Wilford, 70, died of head injuries after a tree landed on her vehicle on Highway 904 about 15 miles southwest of Spokane.
A motorist was killed near the city of Monroe, northeast of Seattle, when a rain-soaked tree fell from a cliff onto the driver’s vehicle, said Snohomish County fire chief Merlin Halverson.
Their identities were not immediately released.
Many other roads and highways were closed by floodwaters, mudslides and downed trees, including the Highway 7 on-ramp to northbound I-5 in Tacoma, Highway 101 east of Port Angeles and Highway 20 between Newhalem and Diablo.
All of Sound Transit’s Southline trains were grounded for a while due to trees across the tracks in two locations between Sumner and Puyallup.
The Pend Oreille Public Utility District didn’t have an exact number, but said around 1,500 customers do not have power.
Puget Sound Energy, serving Seattle and areas of Western Washington, said more than 30 transmission lines were badly damaged and about 100,000 customers were without power early Wednesday. At the height of Ice Storm, more than 100,000 people had no power; more than half of the residents of Spokane.
To the north, in Snohomish County, the public utility district said about 150,000 customers were left without power after a “huge windblast”, the utility said. Numerous schools have canceled classes. Crews were expected to work around the clock until service was restored.
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According to the National Weather Service, flood warnings were in effect for several areas in Washington.
