Sea-Tac reaches record 66 degrees as storms hit West Side

SEATTLE – High winds and heavy rains are expected this time of year in Western Washington. The thing that made Wednesday’s storm unique was the warmth.

Temperatures climbed into the 60s in the Puget Sound region and hit a record 66 at Sea-Tac Airport, the National Weather Service reported.

That’s a record for any December day going back to 1945 when record-keeping began at the airport, said meteorologist Art Gaebel at the weather service office in Seattle.

The wind and rain come from the tropical weather system hitting the whole West Coast, he said.

One gust Wednesday near Cape Flattery on the north Washington coast hit 71 mph. Bellingham in northwest Washington had a 60 mph gust.

A Wednesday evening mud and debris slide from a slope adjacent to the main rail line between Seattle and Everett has halted passenger train traffic in the corridor until Friday evening, BNSF Railway spokesman Gus Melonas said. Crews responded to clear the debris.

Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency in five counties Wednesday to help with emergency repairs to roads damaged in recent storms.