A wind and rain storm caught many people off guard Sunday afternoon but didn’t cause major problems.
The Washington State Patrol reported “nothing serious” Sunday afternoon, though it did record numerous minor collisions blamed on snow and slush on the roadways. Most were resolved before troopers arrived.
Clallam County Public Utility District Engineer Dave Proebstel reported a single power outage. A tree fell onto power lines along Camp Hayden Road, leaving several Crescent Beach customers without power for about four hours Sunday afternoon.
Olympic National Park spokeswoman Barb Maynes said the road to Hurricane Ridge was closed to uphill traffic at 10 a.m. Sunday.
A remote weather station at Hurricane Ridge recorded sustained winds of 30-40 mph from 6 p.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday, Maynes said. Then the winds increased to 45-50 mph from 6 a.m. until about 1 p.m.
The winds were coming from the south, which piled up snow drifts at the parking lot of the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center, quickly trapping cars in snow drifts and reducing visibility to zero, she said.
The first ski-lesson bus made it up to the visitor center. However, the second bus was sent up empty to rescue the passengers from the first bus. Then it, too, became stuck temporarily, Maynes said.
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