Thousands without power after 50 mph gusts pummel Western WA, with more wind and ice on the way

At least 20,000 Puget Sound-area utility customers were still without power Monday afternoon after wind gusts of up to 50 mph rolled through the region – and more wind was expected Tuesday.

At higher elevations, the National Weather Service also expects more of the icy rain that already closed the state’s mountain passes to frustrated holiday travelers in recent days. Stevens Pass remained closed Monday afternoon, while Snoqualmie Pass reopened Sunday.

Monday’s windstorm weakened by 8:30 a.m. as the cold front moved east into the Cascade foothills, said Trent Davis, NWS-Seattle meteorologist. A wind advisory was in effect until 11 a.m., after which forecasters expected “things to wind down a little bit,” Davis said.

Although utility crews had restored power to many affected customers, Puget Sound Energy was still reporting 319 active outages affecting nearly 49,850 customers as of 10 a.m. Affected areas included communities in King, Pierce and Kitsap counties, according to the utility’s online map.

The utility had restored power to all but about 17,000 customers by 4 p.m. Monday. About 3,000 Seattle City Light customers were experiencing outages Monday at about 4 p.m., along with 2,200 Snohomish County Public Utility District customers.

A new system is expect to hit the region Tuesday morning, one of a series of fronts moving in off the Pacific Ocean, Davis said. The strongest winds are expected to be mainly on the coast.

The same weather system could bring more icy rain to higher elevations as moist ocean air mixes with colder air coming in from the east, Davis said.

“If you’re planning to go through the passes, there could be … icy conditions,” Davis said. “Thankfully, it’s mostly just on the passes themselves, not really even in the foothills leading up to them.”

An ice storm warning for Kittitas Valley and Yakima Valley remains in effect through 4 p.m. Tuesday.