5:30 p.m. update: Electricity returns to Forks; some other unincorporated Clallam areas won’t get power back till Friday; Bogachiel River flooding expected
Published 12:01 am Thursday, November 19, 2009
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From Tom Callis, Peninsula Daily News reporter (360-417-3532; tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com:
Forks and Neah Bay have power once again.
Forks came online at about 2 p.m. and Neah Bay about 3 p.m. after Bonneville Power Administration crews cleared trees and branches from its transmission line that powers the West End.
Meanwhile, a downed Clallam County Public Utility District transmission line in the Elwha River Canyon is keeping power off in the Joyce area, said Jeff Beaman, PUD spokesman.
Crews may have to work through the night to bring power back to that community, he said.
About 4,000 PUD customers remain without power, Beaman said at about 2:30 p.m.
He said the BPA used a helicopter to locate five areas where trees or branches had fallen on its transmission line to the West End.
Beaman said PUD crews are still addressing dozens of other more small outages throughout Eastern Clallam County.
The state Department of Transportation is also reporting that state Highway 112 is closed between Joyce and Clallam Bay.
DOT’s statement: “Trees and power lines down on SR 112, in both directions, between Mileposts 48.0 and 24.0. The roadway is closed to all vehicles except local residents and emergency vehicles. Large truck traffic is not permitted. Beginning at 11/19/2009 2:10 AM until further notice.”
As of 11:10 p.m. Wednesday, power had been fully restored to Port Angeles except for two electrical customers.
Ross Tyler, Clallam County engineer, said at 10:30 a.m. that fallen trees remain over Black Diamond and Old Mill roads south of Port Angeles.
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Clallam County Public Utility District reports the following power outages:
Highway 112 from Laird’s Corner to Joyce – possible restoration as soon as Friday, and side roads may take longer.
The following areas we do not have an estimate for restoration at this time:
Alice Road, Toad Road, Red Cedar, Old Mill Road, Mount McDonald, Monroe, Place Road, Freshwater Bay, Patterson, Blackhawk, Olympic Springs, Little River Road, Chicken Coop, parts of Eagle Ridge, Palo Alto, Wild Cat, Dan Kelly, Deer Track, Dory Lane, Sissons, O’Brien, Township Line, Eden Valley, Twin Firs, Crescent Beech, areas along Joyce-Piedmont, Wasankari, East Beach, Masters Road, Deer Run, Lake Sutherland, Greentree, Harrington, Cascade View, Herrick, Glacier Lane, several Mount Pleasant Road areas, Benson, Chickaree and Cedar Park Drive.
Following are the latest National Weather Service advisories:
FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM PST THIS MORNING
THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING…
THE FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR
* PORTIONS OF WESTERN WASHINGTON…INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES… GRAYS HARBOR…CLALLAM…JEFFERSON…LEWIS…
THURSTON.
* FROM 10 AM PST THIS MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING
* HEAVY RAIN TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING COULD DRIVE RIVERS
ON THE OLYMPIC PENINSULA ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. IN PARTICULAR THE
ELWHA AND DUNGENESS RIVERS COULD FLOOD TONIGHT OR FRIDAY…AS
WELL AS SOME OF THE MANY SMALLER RIVERS THAT FLOW OFF THE
OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS. FLOOD WARNINGS ARE ALREADY IN EFFECT FOR THE
SATSOP…BOGACHIEL…AND SKOKOMISH RIVERS.
FLOOD STATEMENT
…THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE FOLLOWING RIVERS IN
WASHINGTON…
BOGACHIEL RIVER NEAR LAPUSH AFFECTING CLALLAM COUNTY.
SKOKOMISH RIVER NEAR POTLATCH AFFECTING MASON COUNTY.
SATSOP RIVER NEAR SATSOP AFFECTING GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY.
FLOOD BULLETIN NO. 5
HEAVY RAIN OVER THE SOUTHERN OLYMPICS DROVE THE SKOKOMISH AND SATSOP
RIVERS OVER FLOOD STAGE. ON THURSDAY AFTERNOON THE FOCUS OF HEAVY
RAIN MOVED OVER THE NORTHERN OLYMPICS. THE BOGACHIEL RIVER WILL
RESPOND TO THIS RAIN AND REACH FLOOD STAGE LATE TONIGHT OR EARLY
FRIDAY. OTHER RIVERS ON THE NORTHERN OLYMPIC PENINSULA WILL ALSO
RISE SHARPLY.
THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR
THE BOGACHIEL RIVER NEAR LAPUSH
* UNTIL FRIDAY MORNING.
* AT 3:00 PM THURSDAY THE STAGE WAS 33.7 FEET.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 37.0 FEET.
* MINOR FLOODING IS FORECAST.
* FORECAST…THE RIVER WILL RISE TO FLOOD STAGE EARLY FRIDAY MORNING
AND CREST NEAR 37.5 FEET FRIDAY MORNING. THE RIVER WILL FALL BELOW
FLOOD STAGE BY NOON FRIDAY.
WEST END: HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT PST
TONIGHT…
A HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT PST TONIGHT
FOR THE NORTH AND CENTRAL COAST.
STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE. SUSTAINED WINDS SPEEDS WILL RANGE FROM 35 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 70 MPH. WINDS WILL EASE LATE THIS EVENING.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A HIGH WIND WARNING MEANS THAT A HAZARDOUS WIND EVENT IS IMMINENT
OR OCCURRING. HIGH WINDS CAN TOPPLE TREES…DOWN POWER LINES…
AND DESTROY PROPERTY.
OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS
AVALANCHE WARNING THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING.
HEAVY NEW SNOW AMOUNTS OF 8 TO 14 HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AS OF EARLY
THURSDAY MORNING. THE MOST RECENT SNOW HAS FALLEN AT WARMING
TEMPERATURES AND WITH VERY STRONG WINDS. THIS IS CREATING MOSTLY
UNSTABLE SNOW CONDITIONS. WIDESPREAD NATURAL OR TRIGGERED AVALANCHES
HAVE BEEN REPORTED THURSDAY MORNING CONFIRMING THESE CONDITIONS.
ADDITIONAL SNOW IS EXPECTED WITH FURTHER RISING TEMPERATURES THROUGH
THURSDAY. THIS SHOULD MAINTAIN THE HIGH AVALANCHE DANGER NEAR THE
CASCADE CREST AND OLYMPICS.
AS A RESULT BACK COUNTRY TRAVEL IS NOT RECOMMENDED NEAR AVALANCHE
TERRAIN IN THE OLYMPICS AND CASCADES THURSDAY THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY.
THIS STATEMENT WILL BE UPDATED AS CONDITIONS WARRANT. PLEASE VISIT
WWW.NWAC.US FOR DETAILS.
BACKCOUNTRY TRAVELERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT ELEVATION AND
GEOGRAPHIC DISTINCTIONS ARE APPROXIMATE AND THAT A TRANSITION
ZONE BETWEEN DANGERS EXISTS. REMEMBER THERE ARE AVALANCHE SAFE
AREAS IN THE MOUNTAINS DURING ALL LEVELS OF AVALANCHE DANGER.
CONTACT LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN YOUR AREA OF INTEREST FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION.
NWAC WEATHER DATA AND FORECASTS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE BY CALLING
206-526-6677 FOR WASHINGTON, 503-808-2400 FOR THE MT HOOD AREA,
OR BY VISITING OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.NWAC.US.
