Thousands without power in Pacific Northwest thunderstorms
SEATTLE – A series of thunderstorms rolling through Western Washington downed trees and power lines, but no serious injuries were reported.
About 40,000 Puget Sound Energy customers remained without power after 9 p.m. Thursday after the National Weather Service had issued severe thunderstorm warnings for parts of the state and Oregon throughout the day.
The majority of outages were in and around Olympia where the Olympian reported authorities had to extricate a motorist whose vehicle was struck by a power pole and live wires.
Straight-line winds blew the roof off a shop in East Olympia.
Other power outages were scattered around Western Washington as far north as Ferndale.
The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for parts of Oregon and Washington until 11 p.m. Thursday.