This story was originally published on mynorthwest.com.
Severe storms that swept across western Washington state on Friday and Saturday impacted residents across the Northwest, plunging thousands into darkness and impassable roads.
At the height of the outage, nearly 12,000 customers were without power due to downed trees, flying branches and downed power lines.
As of 9:00 a.m. Saturday, that number had dropped to nearly 8,000 homes and businesses still in the dark.
There were also reports of trees on local roads as utility crews worked overtime to restore power.
A tree fell on SR 900, also known as Renton-Issaquah Road SE, near 164th SE
It’s close to the famous Jay Berry’s Cafe, for drivers familiar with the SR 900 in the area.
State police said the vehicle was able to maneuver around the fallen tree by traveling in a single lane around the fallen branches, alternating between east and west.
At Skyway, a fallen tree also prevented cars and trucks from using Renton Avenue at South 132nd Street.
The Washington State Patrol also reported multiple trees near Crescent Lake on the Olympic Peninsula.
The incident blocked the eastbound lanes of Highway 101 at Barnes Creek.
As of 9:00 a.m. Saturday, Puget Sound Energy reported that approximately 6,700 customers were still without power.
Most of that is in Skagit County, where more than 3,900 residents are waiting for power to be restored, according to Poweroutage.com.
Seattle Utilities reported that about 300 customers were still without power.
The Snohomish County PUD said about 60 homes and businesses remained without power, while Tacoma Utilities had about 30.
More strong winds are expected in the Puget Sound area, although not as strong as what we felt Friday night.
Stronger wind gusts of 10 to 20 mph are expected, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 50s.
