"Very dangerous winter storm" is headed toward Western Washington this weekend

With a stinging windstorm expected to slam into the Puget Sound area this afternoon, packing snow, freezing rain and gusts of up to 75 mph, utility officials were scrambling Friday to prepare crews to deal with the possibility of widespread power outages.

"We do have a very dangerous winter storm that is headed toward Western Washington this weekend," said Brad Colman, chief Weather Service meteorologist in Seattle.

Motorists were advised to avoid unnecessary travel around Western Washington as the storm, expected to continue into Sunday, could magnify and prolong hazardous conditions on area roads and highways. Temperatures were forecast to remain at or near the freezing mark until Monday.

"This will be a major winter storm that will be life-threatening and disruptive to transportation and power for significant parts of Western Washington," Colman warned.

Shoppers in Seattle can venture out until late in the afternoon, while residents in the Eastside and Cascade foothills should be prepared by midday, Colman said.

50 mph winds in foothills

Dennis D'Amico, a Weather Service meteorologist, said a low-pressure system that developed over the Aleutian Islands is moving toward the Washington coast, and as it hits the state, it will pull cold air from the Cascade Mountains.

Sustained winds of 50 mph, with gusts up to 75 mph, are forecast for the Cascade foothills. Areas that typically get high winds, such as Enumclaw, North Bend, Black Diamond, Gold Bar and other locations near the foothills may be particularly vulnerable to power outages.

Residents were advised to plan in advance how to deal with a prolonged outage or make plans to stay with friends or relatives who have power.

Winds will be calmer, but still significant, in the Central Puget Sound area, where sustained winds of 15-35 mph are forecast, with gusts up to 30 mph.

Amounts of snow from the oncoming storm could vary greatly around the region, with 6 to 18 inches possible on the Kitsap Peninsula and along Hood Canal, and a trace to 4 inches in the Seattle metropolitan area.

Freezing rain will be mostly concentrated in the south Sound, but could touch the Seattle area.

Blizzard warning

The Weather Service issued a rare blizzard warning along the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Blizzard conditions also could affect the Cascade Mountain passes, with an increased avalanche danger due to a fragile snowpack.

Skiers were advised to remain at home today.

Gradual warming is expected to follow the storm with no heavy rain, eliminating a flood threat, forecasters said.

The storm could hamper Seahawks fans trying to make it to Qwest Field for Sunday's 1:05 p.m. game against the New York Jets, although the worst of the storm is expected to be over by then.

Utilities get prepared

Davina Gruenstein, spokeswoman for Puget Sound Energy, said the utility, besides putting its own crews on alert, was making arrangements to bring in crews from Canada and Oregon, stationing them at hotels in Western Washington to be ready to quickly respond to outages.

Seattle City Light and the Snohomish County PUD alerted crews that could be called in. Snohomish County PUD also put out word that it might need help from other utilities, or contract crews from private companies.

Area utilities have boosted their storm preparations and response efforts since the December 2006 Hanukkah Eve storm that produced gusts up to 69 mph at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

That storm cut power to 1.5 million customers, some for a week or more, caused millions of dollars in damage and was blamed for 14 deaths, including eight caused by carbon-monoxide poisoning as people used barbecues or generators indoors.

Since then, Puget Sound Energy, for example, which serves more than 1 million electricity customers and nearly 750, 000 natural gas customers, has spent $25 million to remove and cut back trees that endanger power lines, installed more than 50 miles of new transmission lines and more than 80 miles of thickly wrapped "tree wire" designed to better withstand falling limbs.

The utility has also more than doubled the number of "damage assessors" to help make faster decisions about how best to deploy repair crews, and to give more timely information to the public about how long an outage may last. Many customers who lost power in the 2006 storm went for days without knowing how long it might take to restore service.

Like firefighters, utility crews often travel to other areas to help out in emergencies. In the 2006 storm, for example, Seattle City Light had help from Portland, said spokesman Peter Clarke, and probably other places he wasn't aware of.

This weekend, Clarke said, Seattle City Light crews could end up helping suburban utilities since the forecast calls for the strongest winds outside of the city.

Utilities also were stockpiling supplies — everything from wires to poles to transformers.

Snohomish County PUD also is preparing "storm baskets" that it can give to contract crews or crews from out of the area so that they can get on the road quickly with the correct supplies, said spokesman Neil Neroutsos.

Wrap your pipes

Seattle Public Utilities urged homeowners to be sure to protect their pipes to avoid costly repairs.

"It's not too late for people to proactively protect their pipes," said spokeswoman Karen Reed.

Seattle Public Utilities will have crews on hand to help when pipes burst. The utility has information on its Web site about how people can shut off water at their meter themselves. "We hope not to be busy," Reed said. "We hope people will heed the message and get their pipes wrapped."

Garbage collection in Seattle was suspended Friday, and some neighborhoods also were missed earlier this week.

"No one wants to see a multi-ton garbage truck careening down the hill," Reed said.

If road conditions improve, garbage may be picked up in Seattle today. If garbage isn't picked up then, residents should bring the containers back from the curb until their collection date next week, when double loads will be allowed.

Snow day off

Around the Seattle area Friday, with most schools and many government offices closed, many people appeared to be taking the day off, and traffic volumes were light.

King County Metro suspended service on about half its routes and pulled most of its articulated buses out of service.

One death has been partly blamed on the cold.

Kitsap County authorities said the body of John Clarence Makepa Basso, 36, was found Wednesday afternoon in the underbrush near his home. Officials said he had a medical condition that diminished his mental capacity and caused him to behave erratically.

Seattle Times staff reporters Steve Miletich and Sandi Doughton contributed to this report.

Jack Broom: 206-464-2222 or jbroom@seattletimes.com.

Linda Shaw: 206-464-2359 or lshaw@seattletimes.com.

Information in this article, originally published December 20, 2008, was corrected December 22, 2008. A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Puget Sound Energy has more than 1.7 million electric customers rather than more than 1 million electric customers.