High winds cut power to thousands

Fierce winds downed trees and power lines across Western Washington on Saturday, leaving at least 160,000 homes and businesses in the dark.

One woman died driving on a road near the Wahkiakum-Cowlitz County line in southwest Washington when a tree fell on her car, the Washington State Patrol told Northwest Cable News.

There were no immediate reports of any other deaths, injuries or widespread property damage.

The storm forced the closure of the floating bridge on Lake Washington east of Seattle for the first time in nearly seven years.

In the coastal town of Westport, the Grays Harbor County Emergency and Risk Management Office said some waterfront motels were evacuated as a precaution.

KBKW Radio in nearby Aberdeen said several boats broke loose from their moorings in Westport overnight. Some small campers were blown into the water, and the seawall the protects the marina suffered minor damage, the station reported.

About 20 miles south of Aberdeen, some parts of Raymond were were under 2 feet of water, KBKW reported. Traffic in downtown Raymond was limited to emergency vehicles.

Washington State Ferries shut down the Port Townsend-Keystone ferry run connecting the northeast tip of the Olympic Peninsula and Whidbey Island because of choppy waters on Puget Sound.

And Seattle's zoo shut down because of concerns that winds would bring down trees.

The National Weather Service said it had received reports of 45 mph winds in Seattle, with gusts past 50 mph on the western edge of the city. Gusts of more than 60 mph were reported in Jefferson County on the Olympic Peninsula.

The State Route 520 bridge, one of two spans connecting Seattle to its eastern suburbs, was closed in both directions around 9:30 a.m., after winds exceeded 50 mph, the Department of Transportation said.

Crews opened the draw span to relieve pressure on the 42-year-old span, Transportation spokeswoman Melanie Coon said. The last time it was shut down during a storm was in March 1999, she said.

Puget Sound Energy spokeswoman Lynn Carlson said many if its 140,000 customers without power should be back online by midday Sunday, but hard-hit areas - particularly in Kistap, Jefferson and Island counties west and northwest of Seattle - could be without power for several days.

There were also outages in Thurston and Pierce counties south of Seattle and part of King County north of the city. Seattle City Light said it had about 20,000 customers without power.

Washington State Ferries spokeswoman Susan Harris said the Port Townsend-Keystone ferry run, connecting the northwest tip of the Olympia Peninsula to Whidbey Island, would not resume until the windy weather subsided.

Storm damage at the Clinton ferry dock at the south end of Whidbey Island was causing some delays. Ferries were running behind schedule on most other routes, Harris said.

At Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, spokeswoman Gigi Allianic said the main safety concern was that trees could fall and injure visitors or allow animals to escape.

The weather service said the threat of falling trees was high because soil was saturated after a long stretch of rain.

Traffic had to be diverted off some roads in the region because of flooding, shifting or sinking asphalt, falling trees or downed power lines.

The weather service said a coastal flood warning would remain in effect through 6 a.m. Sunday, with swells as high as 35 feet.

Powerful waves were expected to cause "extensive beach run up, substantial erosion, and possible damage to structures along exposed shorelines," the weather service said.

Heavy snow was expected to cause blizzard conditions in the northern and central Cascade passes Saturday afternoon and evening. The weather service warned that driving conditions would be "treacherous."

Forecasters said the weather would begin clearing up on Sunday, after a chance of early morning showers. The forecast called for partly cloudy skies throughout the rest of the week.

"We're due for a brief break here," said Danny Mercer, a meteorologist in the weather service's Seattle office.