The North Olympic Peninsula dodged the worst of the winter storm that lashed Western Washington on Thursday, with the biggest impact being an electrical power outage on the West End.
No rivers on the Peninsula had risen above flood stage by 4 p.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and no additional facilities were closed in Olympic National Park.
Report of tornado
While heavy weather closed Cascade Mountain passes and the National Weather Service investigated the report of a tornado at Battle Ground, about 5,500 West End customers of the Clallam County Public Utility District lost power at around 2:44 p.m. when a Bonneville Power Administration line was damaged.
Mike Howe, PUD spokesman, said the BPA estimated it would take three hours before a crew could arrive to locate the problem. He had no estimate of when it might be repaired.
About 1,100 customers had lost power Thursday morning in the Diamond Point, south Bell Hill, Happy Valley and Chicken Coop areas.
Electricity was restored by 1:30 p.m. to all but a small area at Chicken Coop by 1:30 p.m.
Despite high winds at Port Townsend, the Jefferson County PUD reported an outage to only about 45 customers at the tip of Discovery Bay as of 1:30 p.m.
Downed power lines blocked both lanes of state Highway 20 at about the same time. By 4:40 p.m., the roadway was reopened.
No walk in the park
In Olympic National Park, the Elwha Valley entrance remained closed and would stay so “for quite some time,” according to spokeswoman Barb Maynes.
Park personnel were assessing a washout near the Elwha Campground that occurred in late November, but they didn’t expect to plan repairs until the winter storm season ends, she said.
Sol Duc Road, closed as a precaution because it is prone to landslides, also remained barred.
At Lake Quinault, only the Graves Creek Road remained closed due to damage. Maynes said no schedule had been set for repairs.
Snow depth at Hurricane Ridge was unavailable, but snow measured 22 inches at the Waterhole site nearby.
High winds
High winds continued to buffet the Peninsula, gusting to 38 mph at the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca in the 24 hours prior to 3 p.m. Thursday, with 31 mph reported at the Hood Canal Bridge, 33 mph at Port Townsend and 39 mph at Coast Guard Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles.
Jefferson County caught the most rain, with 2.10 inches falling at Quilcene in the 24 hours before 3 p.m. Thursday, with 1.28 inches reported at Port Ludlow and 0.98 inches at Brinnon.
Forks measured 0.80 inches; Indian Valley, 0.90 inches; Port Angeles, 0.39 inches; and Port Townsend and Sequim, 0.33 inches.
Vancouver Island
By midafternoon, spiraling winds had shifted to the southwest from a storm centered over southern Vancouver Island.
A larger storm remained farther northwest in the Pacific off the northern end of the island, according to the weather service.
The Port Angeles-area forecast called for rain continuing at least until Monday, with a sunbreak Tuesday, before rain is expected to resume.
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Reporter James Casey can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jcasey@peninsuladaily
news.com.
