West Seattle weather: Storm brings power outages, tree/wire woes, hail, rainbows, and … a starfish

(SCROLL DOWN for the newest weather/power-outage updates and photos)

3:19 PM: We have word of two outages so far – the Seattle City Light map shows 100+ customers out in the Seola/south Arbor Heights area:

And we just received a call from someone in Gatewood – right about the time our power flickered (but stayed on) here, south of Gatewood. It’s been about an hour and a half since the wind started kicking up – some gusts, but not a lot of sustained strong wind, so far.

3:40 PM: Gatewood’s still not on the map (California/Orchard was the area mentioned by the caller), but that historically outage-plagued area doesn’t always show. None of the lights on California in that area were out when we went by a few minutes ago.

3:51 PM: Now we have an explanation for the Gatewood outage – Cynthia and Scott have sent photos of a tree down on Gatewood Road:

treegatewood

4:05 PM: Thanks to Cathy for this report: “At Genesee and 49th, a tree has pulled down a wire, which is dangling into the middle of the street. Cars are swerving around it. Tried to call 911 but got put on hold for 15 minutes. May want to give folks a heads up.”

4:16 PM: Just got to that area – all clear now, and a City Light vehicle was just leaving.

4:27 PM: We’re now in Gatewood, where a variety of wires are down on Glenridge (same area as tree photo above). Neighbors have put out cones and have called it in but haven’t seen SCL yet.

4:44 PM: And an oddity that might just be coincidental to the wind, or not – Gay sent this photo of a “flying starfish,” explaining that a “neighbor kid and his chaperone” found it – about a third of a mile inland!

Gay says they’re speculating an eagle dropped it.

5:08 PM: Per comments, new trouble on Genesee – tree/wires at 48th.

5:21 PM: We’ve also had, for the third day in a row, rainbow reports! Thanks for the photos – this is from Al:

20160301_170931

And right before the rainbow, Deb photographed hail in North Admiral:

debhail

Whitecaps on the water this afternoon, as this photo from Alki by W.T. Vandermark shows:

tugvwind

5:44 PM: Back to Gatewood, where Scott says City Light hasn’t arrived yet, though SDOT has helped block off the affected area:

scowcroftbarriers

The wind advisory remains in effect until 9 tonight.

6:30 PM: According to the City Light map, the number of customers still out in Seola/south Arbor Heights is down to 51.

6:44 PM: New tree trouble, tweeted by Mike Jensen:

9 PM: Gatewood is back on, per Zephyr in comments. But the SCL map still has 51 out in Seola/south AH.

9:18 PM: Make that “some” in Gatewood – Scott says City Light is there but isn’t working yet, and his neighborhood remains without electricity.

29 Replies to "West Seattle weather: Storm brings power outages, tree/wire woes, hail, rainbows, and ... a starfish"

  • kate March 1, 2016 (3:20 pm)

    Just lost power on Vashon. What else is new…

  • LC March 1, 2016 (3:30 pm)

    Power still on by Joe’s.

  • Gatewood Resident March 1, 2016 (4:09 pm)

    “Gatewood’s still not on the map (California/Orchard was the area mentioned by the caller), but that historically outage-plagued area doesn’t always show.” We live near California & Myrtle. The power almost always seems to go out whenever we have a wind event, but I thought it was just in my head! Is there a reason the area is prone to outages?

  • Impacted Neighbor March 1, 2016 (4:39 pm)

    It would be nice if our neighbors took care of their trees.  My husband and I have commented several times that it was just a matter of time before that tree on Gatewood would come down; it and many other trees on that property are inundated with ivy and leaning.  This is the second time this season that a tree has come down on/near that property; SCL was great, quick to respond last time, and hopefully they will be again (otherwise it’s gonna be a chilly night for us).

    • Impacted Neighbor March 1, 2016 (4:42 pm)

      To be clear, what I mean by taking care of trees, is to ensure that they are healthy starting with removing the ivy that makes them susceptible.  Trees are a commodity and provide a ton of benefit, and should be maintained.

      • Enviromaven March 2, 2016 (11:42 am)

        I’m with you, Impacted Neighbor – the ivy’s gotta go, and I’m happy to help!  Give me a few more weeks to recover from recent surgery and please keep me in the loop.

  • J Duty March 1, 2016 (4:53 pm)

    Wire down in middle of the street on Genesee near 48th SW. Looks like a tree on the hillside fell into the wires bringing it down. This has been reported.

    • WSB March 1, 2016 (4:57 pm)

      J – was that just a short time ago? We were in that area about half an hour ago and the street was clear, after we’d received a report of tree vs. wire at 49th/Genesee…

  • AMD March 1, 2016 (5:14 pm)

    Poor starfish.  : (

  • anonyme March 1, 2016 (5:17 pm)

    Is there a tree/wire down on 100th, or was that just a lost Metro driver that headed west on 102nd?

  • JayDee March 1, 2016 (5:33 pm)

    Well, that was different. Pellets, sun, rainbows, wash rinse repeat.  I’ve seen power flickers in the last 10 minutes so maybe someone else is down.

  • JayDee March 1, 2016 (5:38 pm)

    Looking to the west, the show might continue in a bit…backed up by UW composite Radar.

  • Gatewood 1 March 1, 2016 (6:11 pm)

    Agreed, this is the same yard on Gatewood Road that had a downed tree a couple of days before last Thanksgiving. It came down in the same fashion spanning the road, arcing power lines, damaging parked vehicles, taking out cable, fiber optic and completely ripping service out from one neighbors rooftop. Additional trees from this resident have fallen in years past. I won’t mention her name but this woman seriously needs to address her hazard trees before someone gets hurt or worse. She has let the ivy completely choke them out. There are multiple more hazard trees on her lot and mark my words this will happen again. Her neglect continues to endanger the community as well as cost taxpayers money by continually having to repair the damage caused. 

  • Gay Gabrilska March 1, 2016 (7:17 pm)

    STARFISH SURVIVED and was released back into The Sound. 

    • AMD March 1, 2016 (8:35 pm)

      Great news!  Thank you for the update!

  • JayDee March 1, 2016 (7:25 pm)

    @ Gay Gabrilska: You should read the nonfiction “Star Thrower” by Loren Eisley  at used bookstores near you. You’ve recapitulated what separates us from eagles, and most other animals on this planet.

  • Gay Gabrilska March 1, 2016 (7:36 pm)

    @JayDee Thanks for the recommendation  heading to Junction tomorrow  

  • zephyr March 1, 2016 (8:05 pm)

    Our power has been out since 3:15 pm.  This was called in immediately and it still does not show on the map.  Several families here at California and Orchard in lower Gatewood.  There is a large Red Oak on California with wires growing through the branches.  This could be the culprit since they haven’t pruned it in awhile.  I am concerned that we are forgotten since we aren’t mapped.  WSB if you have anyone’s ear to let them know, it would be greatly appreciated.  

    • WSB March 1, 2016 (8:33 pm)

      Zephyr – we’ve asked this before and I believe the problem is the particularly old feeder lines in the area. Please be sure to call SCL and make sure they know you’re still out.

  • Hoku March 1, 2016 (8:16 pm)

    Thank you WSB again for being such an incredible news source. Great to know there was no reason to go home immediately after work to no power. Thank you!

  • JayDee March 1, 2016 (8:23 pm)

    Loren died awhile ago, but his observations are still exact and poignant. The library may have him too. 

  • zephyr March 1, 2016 (8:54 pm)

    Thank you for responding WSB.  Just a few minutes ago the power came back on.  !!! :)   Happy camper here.  Still a mystery as to why we don’t get on the map. Oh well, on to next time.  

  • Community Member March 1, 2016 (9:12 pm)

    Glad to hear that the starfish survived.

    .

    Voice of experience: cleaning starfish blockages out of your downspouts is an actual West Seattle thing.  It is not easy.

    • BEB March 1, 2016 (9:54 pm)

      Starfish blockages in downspouts? I’d love to hear that story! What a strange and wonderful place this is.

  • LyndaB March 1, 2016 (9:47 pm)

    double rainbow!!!  

  • Deb March 1, 2016 (11:05 pm)

    Finishing up a dog walk at 3 this afternoon after some pretty heavy gusts, I heard a bird chirping like crazy in a big tree next door. As I approached the tree, I realized that the sound was coming from the ground and then spotted something about 3 inches long laying on its back screeching its head off. Some newborn critter – its eyes weren’t even open yet – but its little arms and legs were flailing around. I ran inside my house to get a box to gather it up and get it someplace safe. When I returned to the tree, it was quiet with no sign of the little critter. Gone! Hoping that it was picked up by a parent critter and did not become dinner for a bird. I think it was a newborn raccoon that fell out of the tree – based on my internet search.  Some powerful wind gusts. 

  • llynda March 2, 2016 (8:24 am)

    About the person in Gatewood who doesn’t take care of her trees: after the last one (during the holidays), I NEVER saw her come out to help at all with the tremendous mess that was left.  The city came out quickly, but left a HUGE mess (last night, they took longer, but cleaned up everything–chipped up all of the branches, which they didn’t do last time–just left them strewn around the sidewalk).  I still cannot believe that she would not come out to help clean up the mess that she made.  But I’m also disappointed with the city’s response.  Those of us who had her last tree fall on our properties called/wrote the police  to see if they could act as liaison and to the power company to tell them that there was a companion tree ready to fall.  I even told the power crew who were here LAST WEEK completing the repair of the damage from the last tree that I would “see them again next week”–which I did!  Apparently, they think it’s better to wait until the tree falls, so that we can be without power and so their crews can work all night in the cold rain, rather than address the problem before it gets worse.  I know the tree was on private property, but there still must be something they can do.  There is a whole large yard full of more dead trees.  People on Gatewood should stock up on candles.

    • Impacted Neighbor March 2, 2016 (9:55 am)

      Llynda, Impacted Neighbor here, I work at the City and know staff at Seattle City Light that managed tree trimming and maintenance, and will definitely discuss this with them.  In their defense, their territory is huge and they are likely understaffed and funded, which probably causes them to be more reactive than proactive.  As for trees in our neighborhood, I’ve watched many become inundated with Ivy (which really strains trees and increases risk of them failing) and no management by property owners, which I suspect may be related to the owners’ ability to either physically or financially take care of their trees.  So, I’ve be thinking of sending a flyer out to our neighbors to see if any are willing to volunteer time to help restore those properties, reducing our risk of power outages due to trees and injury to our people and property.  Part of why we moved to this area is because of the trees and the urban wildlife they support, so it’s in my interest to do something about it.  Thoughts?

  • llynda March 2, 2016 (5:48 pm)

    Thanks, Impacted Neighbor!  I agree that SCL has a huge territory.  And they are also so very good at coming around during the summer to trim trees that might be near the power lines.  So in that way, they are very proactive.  I suspect the location of the tree was too far away from the sidewalk, and there is some legal reason they can’t intervene.  I love the idea of working as a neighborhood to help get things cleaned up.  I fear that such an approach would be a tough sell with this particular tree owner: when her next-door neighbor trimmed some limbs from her trees that were dangling right above his truck (parked on his property), she came out and called the cops–resulting in a fine for him.  (!)  But count me in with whatever measures you think we can take!

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