High winds caused scattered electrical power outages in East Jefferson County on Friday and Saturday and snow is forecast tonight (Sunday), especially in the center of the North Olympic Peninsula.
At one point on Friday, more than 1,800 Jefferson County Public Utility District customers were without power. Those customers had power restored but scattered outages were reported overnight and by 1 p.m. Saturday, some 530 customers had lost electrical power in the Cape George area, said Will O’Donnell, PUD communications manager.
By 3 p.m. the Cape George outages were fixed, he said.
Wind gusts were the apparent cause of the outages.
A few outages were reported Friday in Clallam County and none on Saturday, according to Nicole Clark, communications manager for Clallam County PUD, although the wind was picking up late Saturday afternoon.
High surf and wind warnings were in effect.
Hurricane Ridge Road was closed Friday and Saturday because snow blowers needed repair. The Ridge was recorded as having 47 inches — almost 4 feet — of snow on Saturday.
It will get more.
Some 3-5 inches of snow are forecast for Port Angeles and Sequim tonight (Sunday) through early Monday morning as arctic air from the Fraser River Valley in British Columbia flows to the Peninsula, according to Jacob DeFlitch, meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Seattle.
Snow levels will be less on both ends of the Peninsula, according to NWS.
Forks and Port Townsend are predicted to get 1-2 inches while none is forecast for South Jefferson County.
The forecast reminds many of last February’s “snowmageddon” when Sequim and Port Angeles received several feet of snow, but DeFlitch said it is very unlikely that the heavy snowfall will be repeated.
“It’s not expected,” he said.
He outlined “two distinct snow periods — one from this afternoon (Sunday) to Monday morning and another Wednesday and Thursday.
It will be cold.
Monday’s temperatures are expected to drop into the teens across Peninsula except on the West End where slightly warmer temperatures are forecast.
Low temperatures are expect to struggle around the freezing mark throughout the week.
Cliff Mass, University of Washington atmospheric sciences professor, said on his blog that no matter what snow falls, “the cold is going to be a big part of the story.
“Disconnect exterior hoses on homes and apartments, get pets inside, and most important of all, the greatly increased homeless population of our region needs to be brought indoors,” Mass said Saturday.
“Next week could be a killer.”
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Executive Editor Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3530 or at lleach@peninsuladailynews.com.
Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5, or at zjablonski@peninsuladailynews.com.
Jefferson Public Utility District lineman cut down a willow tree off of power lines along Center Road just before entering downtown Quilcene as other PUD workers monitor the situation. (Jefferson County Public Utility District)
