UPDATE: Almost 5,000 hit by power outage in West Seattle; see the tree trouble that’s to blame

8:14 PM: Thanks for all the tips. Seattle City Light‘s outage map confirms an outage affecting almost 5,000 customers in mostly northwest West Seattle. 911 log shows a “transformer fire” in the 4100 block of Beach Drive SW.

8:21 PM: Emergency-radio traffic suggests the problem is on a “private dead-end street” and that City Light has a crew on the way.

8:33 PM: To recap some important outage-related info – for one, the “estimated restoration time” is just a guess, could be lots earlier or lots later. In case of the latter, don’t open the refrigerator or freezer – your food will last longer.

8:51 PM: Power’s back on for many, if not all. (The City Light map hasn’t caught up yet so we won’t know for a bit if it’s entirely resolved.)

8:55 PM: First map update says it’s down to 3,100 out.

9:39 PM: Above, for the record, is the current map of who’s out. And below, WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli‘s photos of the tree trouble that’s to blame – it’s near Aikins/Boyd in South Alki:

10:10 PM: Christopher spoke to City Light workers at the scene who told him those who are still out may remain out into Friday, as it is a complicated repair, with three poles affected, and tricky access on the steep site. Meantime, we just got photos from the Aikins side of the downed tree (thanks, Evie!) – in the first photo there’s a crushed car (no one hurt):

10:45 PM: According to commenters, more just got power back. Now 1,749 out, per SCL map.

12:24 AM: Those 1,749 are still out, per SCL map.

6 AM: All but 160 are reconnected.

6:03 PM: After 22 hours, 146 people are still out.

143 Replies to "UPDATE: Almost 5,000 hit by power outage in West Seattle; see the tree trouble that's to blame"

  • Jackson wang December 12, 2024 (8:15 pm)

    Great, I was in the middle of my movie🙄

    • AC December 12, 2024 (8:39 pm)

      Me too!

  • Andy December 12, 2024 (8:18 pm)

    Wtf???

  • Clayton December 12, 2024 (8:22 pm)

    My lights flickered and I heard the explosion a few seconds later! I am E of Alaska Junction.

    • Brietta December 12, 2024 (10:15 pm)

      Same! (location and experience)

  • Aaron December 12, 2024 (8:23 pm)

    Seattle light utility automated phone line said estimated resolution time of 2:30am December 13. 

    • WSB December 12, 2024 (8:42 pm)

      As noted above, do NOT take any stock in estimated restoration times. They are just wild guesses, especially in the early going. Could be much earlier, could be much later.

      • Lights Back On! December 12, 2024 (8:54 pm)

        We’re back on in Seaview Park, Baby! 

  • Lola December 12, 2024 (8:23 pm)

    Ours went out on 50th & Alaska.  

  • David Tipton December 12, 2024 (8:23 pm)

    Hope the 2:13 am repair is not true I wanna save my food 🥺

    • Relax December 12, 2024 (8:43 pm)

      Your food will be fine, just keep the door closed

    • Eddie December 12, 2024 (8:55 pm)

      Food sitting in an unopened fridge or freezer for 6 hours isn’t going to go bad.

    • AlkiResident December 12, 2024 (8:56 pm)

      Your food will be fine, don’t open your fridge or freezer. 

  • JayDee December 12, 2024 (8:24 pm)

    Yep,,,shades of 2006, but hopefully not extended. I assume the 49ers lost 😉

    • Derp December 12, 2024 (8:59 pm)

      Yes they did

  • Brooke December 12, 2024 (8:25 pm)

    Thank you for the speedy reporting!!!

  • emi December 12, 2024 (8:25 pm)

    i was waiting for an article about this

  • WSler December 12, 2024 (8:30 pm)

    You guys are fast! Thank you for the information and the updates. 

  • Doug December 12, 2024 (8:34 pm)

    A “private” street???

    • Patrick December 12, 2024 (8:49 pm)

      Undeveloped section of Andover sw at aikins ave swSPD showed up and left. No SFD or SCL yet

  • Dan Neelemeyer December 12, 2024 (8:34 pm)

    I’m on 35th in High Point on the east side of the road between Juneau and Findlay and we lost power. But the neighbors across the street have their lights on – I can see the couple playing video games by their Xmas tree. I wouldnt say they are being smug about it but another word for that. Merry Christmas. 

  • Shawn December 12, 2024 (8:34 pm)

    Lights flickered quite a bit in the Junction. 

  • Hannah December 12, 2024 (8:35 pm)

    Saw the whole sky light up blue when our power flickered! 

  • whattheflip December 12, 2024 (8:36 pm)

    sitting here with half of my hair straightened 😅 thanks for the update WSB

  • Sarah Searfass December 12, 2024 (8:36 pm)

    Me too Jackson! It was a good one! Anyone have an idea of ETA? 

  • N December 12, 2024 (8:38 pm)

    Not again 😔 I just got groceries 

  • Pelicans December 12, 2024 (8:39 pm)

    Hey, at least it waited until the answer to Final Jeopardy (got it right!)  👩‍🎓

    • Tim December 12, 2024 (9:51 pm)

      Nice! How much did you wager? 

      • Pelicans December 13, 2024 (12:31 pm)

        All of it. Am old enough to remember that bottle. 😉

  • Pam December 12, 2024 (8:39 pm)

    Our lights here in the Morgan Junction flickerd several times.

  • West Seattle Mad Sci Guy December 12, 2024 (8:40 pm)

    We had flickering here near Avalon and 35th. Lost internet briefly.

  • E December 12, 2024 (8:41 pm)

    Several big flickers in highland park.

  • Pattie December 12, 2024 (8:43 pm)

    I guess it’s bed time ;)

  • aura points +++ December 12, 2024 (8:46 pm)

    yall i got accepted to uw just earlier today.  is this a sign?

    • K December 12, 2024 (8:55 pm)

      Maybe?  But congrats either way!  Go Huskies!

    • Kristina December 12, 2024 (8:55 pm)

      Congratulations! Maybe a sign that you can handle anything? Go Dawgs!

    • sbre December 12, 2024 (9:07 pm)

      Congrats!!!

    • Pelicans December 12, 2024 (9:15 pm)

      aura points – Congrats! Maybe it’s a sign you should study electrical engineering?

    • GT December 12, 2024 (9:18 pm)

      You Dawg! 

    • Karen December 13, 2024 (1:51 pm)

      Congratulations!!

  • Dreamer December 12, 2024 (8:47 pm)

    Our lights flickered here near 18th and Delridge 

  • Beach Driver December 12, 2024 (8:48 pm)

    Fallen tree on Aikins Ave SW took out power lines, and maybe a pole. NOT first hand knowledge. 

  • ACM December 12, 2024 (8:50 pm)

    Power just came back on near eddy/marshall

  • Anne Helene December 12, 2024 (8:50 pm)

    flickers here in upper fauntleroy which is odd and not in pattern.

  • Darren December 12, 2024 (8:50 pm)

    This is a legit question WSB how do you gather information before anyone else, it’s amazing how you always are in the know

    • WSB December 12, 2024 (9:28 pm)

      Because people started texting (THANK YOU). I was in the kitchen, next room over from the home office, and the overhead light flickered – I thought it was a faulty bulb (the fixture has had problems before) and then bam! the texts started going off (THANK YOU). I’m used to flickers meaning an outage elsewhere but for some reason this time that didn’t occur to me …

  • Megan December 12, 2024 (8:50 pm)

    Power is back at California and Graham

  • margaret@organ-kean.com December 12, 2024 (8:51 pm)

    We have power south of Juneau on 47th.hurrah for SCL!

  • Herongrrrl December 12, 2024 (8:52 pm)

    Back on by Me Kwa Mooks Park.

    • Karen December 13, 2024 (12:17 am)

      Really??  not me just a block north of mee kwa mooks 

  • Angela December 12, 2024 (8:52 pm)

    Lights just came back on Graham and 50th.

  • 35th and Brandon December 12, 2024 (8:52 pm)

    Back on at 35th and Brandon 

  • Savannah December 12, 2024 (8:53 pm)

    Back on in Seaview! Whew!

  • Rae December 12, 2024 (8:53 pm)

    Power is back at 48th and Graham!

  • Felix Grounds December 12, 2024 (8:54 pm)

    Power back on 39th between Raymond and Grahm!

  • Linda December 12, 2024 (8:54 pm)

    Power is back on, Fauntleroy and Raymond

  • Jose Feliciano December 12, 2024 (8:54 pm)

    Okay, who won the 49er game? Power went out with 6 seconds left, Brock Purdy drops back… poof…

    • Seferiana December 12, 2024 (9:32 pm)

      Brock Purdy got sacked, the clock went to 0.0 and our power went out 😂

  • Jsteez December 12, 2024 (8:55 pm)

    Alki point and beyond still without power, I’m looking at our neighborhood from 59th Ave sw 👀

  • Jim P. December 12, 2024 (8:56 pm)

    Way down by Westwood, we got three flickers, one lasted for about half a second but not enough to reset clocks on stuff.

  • Shauna December 12, 2024 (8:56 pm)

    We’re on Beach near Charlestown. No power back on our street or as far as the eye can see. But we saw a big flash and loud bang fairly close to us when the power went out. 

  • MJF December 12, 2024 (8:56 pm)

    Power is not back Genesee hill area, SCL is still reporting 3,200 customers out

  • Lola December 12, 2024 (8:56 pm)

    City Light was just at the pole across from us.  They fixed the lights across the street but we are still dark.  We are on a different transformer.  Lol

  • Resident December 12, 2024 (8:56 pm)

    It’s 8:55 and will no power Charlestown and 55th.  Also West Alki is still black

  • Dawn December 12, 2024 (8:57 pm)

    Power is still out around 58th and Chilberg. 

  • Zoomy December 12, 2024 (8:58 pm)

    Power back on up on California on the block of Juneau Market 

  • Mynameisjon December 12, 2024 (9:02 pm)

    I’m on the 3800 block of Beach Drive and we could hear the buzzing of the transformer blowing. City Light truck just drove by inspecting the lines.Looks like they’re stopped right up the hill from us, maybe on Boyd Pl. So no power here.

  • DML December 12, 2024 (9:03 pm)

    Heard it was a transformer near La Rustica. We are back on above Jacobsen Rd. Out less than an hour,Thank you repair people!

  • Domonique December 12, 2024 (9:04 pm)

    Over here near charlston street still out. 

  • Alki December 12, 2024 (9:04 pm)

    Peacefully dark at the end of Admiral.

  • Lights on December 12, 2024 (9:05 pm)

    Back on, 45th and Raymond. 

  • Alki 62 December 12, 2024 (9:06 pm)

    All dark down here in Alki

  • Mrs Shaw December 12, 2024 (9:07 pm)

    @ aura points- Congrats on getting accepted to UW. It’s an omen only if the power goes out at Husky Stadium.

  • sbre December 12, 2024 (9:08 pm)

    Dang, I ate all my ice cream thinking that the power would be out for a while!

    • Jess December 12, 2024 (9:36 pm)

      Hey, ice cream for dinner is still a pretty good outcome!

    • Pelicans December 12, 2024 (9:41 pm)

      @sbre  That’s why they say to eat dessert first – life is so uncertain!

  • Pat wms December 12, 2024 (9:09 pm)

    54th and Andover.  Thank goodness for battery powered candles.  Still all dark here.

  • newnative December 12, 2024 (9:10 pm)

    We just had a few flickers but lost internet. still not back. We have Astound

  • GT December 12, 2024 (9:21 pm)

    Usually it’s the other side of the street. LOL now i fired up the wood stove and it’s a damn sauna. 🤷😳

  • STK December 12, 2024 (9:22 pm)

    We are on beach dr in the la rustica area and my daughter and I heard the first explosion (I’m assuming transformer) then the power went. Maybe 30 seconds later we heard another. Sounded almost like a huge thunder crack. 

  • Pauline December 12, 2024 (9:23 pm)

    More flickering lights for me compared to that wind storm (nothing happened) lol. 

  • wssz December 12, 2024 (9:32 pm)

    Super fast getting our power restored. Out for only 45 minutes. Location: 4800 block of 49th.  Thank you WSB for keeping us fully updated. Will be good to know the cause.   

  • JN December 12, 2024 (9:34 pm)

    50th Ave SW & Alaska (west side of street) still no power.

  • Alki Ave and 60th December 12, 2024 (9:39 pm)

    Still out! Alki Ave and 60th 

  • Debbie December 12, 2024 (9:47 pm)

    Well, put another log on the fire, cook me up some bacon and some beans .😊 Our power went out right when jeopardy got over.

  • Aikins December 12, 2024 (9:48 pm)

    Big tree fell in the 400 block of Aikins on the power lines. My husband just got back from walking the dog as the city was showing up.

  • Mattyboy December 12, 2024 (10:04 pm)

    Nothing at Alki Ave by constellation yet! See the power people working on it up on the hill

  • Tiare Mathison December 12, 2024 (10:09 pm)

    Still dark at Lighthouse Point!

  • WSB December 12, 2024 (10:19 pm)

    Please see our newest update. Crews on scene say it MIGHT take quite a while.

  • Findlay December 12, 2024 (10:28 pm)

    Why is our power still out around Camp Long? Assume that attention is being given elsewhere with available crews.

  • tenlow December 12, 2024 (10:31 pm)

    The city light map is now saying 8am estimated restoration, that’s more realistic but I think it might be a little optimistic still. 

    • tenlow December 12, 2024 (10:39 pm)

      AAAND 7 minutes later I was proven wrong. 64th is back up. 

  • JN December 12, 2024 (10:34 pm)

    Power still out at 50th Ave SW & SW Alaska (the west side of the street). Finding it difficult to understand why it’s taking so long with just one tree that fell across some lines. 

    • Alki Resident December 12, 2024 (11:18 pm)

      I’m going to assume that you were being sarcastic. 

  • Rick December 12, 2024 (10:39 pm)

    Back on by Alki Point now 🤙

  • Pelicans December 12, 2024 (10:41 pm)

    Power back on at north end of Beach Drive. Thank you SDOT 🥳 !

  • Matt December 12, 2024 (10:42 pm)

    Back at 61st and Hinds!

  • KD December 12, 2024 (10:44 pm)

    Power back on Alki – 62nd 

  • Kay December 12, 2024 (10:45 pm)

    Just got power back on Alki and 64th

  • Franck December 12, 2024 (10:47 pm)

    Power back at Admiral & 64th

  • Rob December 12, 2024 (11:01 pm)

    Still no power on 56th between Hanford and Spokane 

  • Jake W December 12, 2024 (11:01 pm)

    Power back on 60th and alki

  • Nancy McKenna December 12, 2024 (11:04 pm)

    No power on Genesee hill

  • Barb December 12, 2024 (11:10 pm)

    Still out on 60th 😢

  • Janice Rose December 12, 2024 (11:29 pm)

    Still out on 58th Ave SW, near Spokane.

  • SM December 12, 2024 (11:32 pm)

    Still no power 54th and Charleston 😔

  • Karen December 13, 2024 (12:21 am)

    Oh man still no power 4000 block  beach Dr . weird that it’s dark as hell but I can’t sleep .. 

  • Rae December 13, 2024 (1:03 am)

    Still no power 56th and Spokane 

  • Katherine L December 13, 2024 (1:28 am)

    This is odd. I live at 32nd and Genesee. The outage shouldn’t have affected me. But I’d just put a fresh bulb into a lamp. It flickered and flickered. I thought something was wrong with the bulb. It did steady down after a while, so I left it in. 

  • Sarah December 13, 2024 (1:31 am)

    No power at 1.30am at 4050 block of 49th and Dakota :(

    • Nancy December 13, 2024 (1:44 am)

      Still no power at 52nd and Andover 

  • Tslaz December 13, 2024 (1:42 am)

    Still nothing at admiral and 60th, south side of street is still dark. Annoyed

  • Aram Karabetyan December 13, 2024 (1:57 am)

     1.57 Am Still no power at 59 and Spokane 

  • JMB December 13, 2024 (2:02 am)

    We are at the corners of 59th Ave SW – SW Charlestown St & Boyd PL SW… just a block or so below where the tree took out at least one pole.  This is where the trucks and equipment steered by a thoughtful crew ascend to work at getting the power back on for those of us that are still in the dark.  While the word from one of the crew is not great, that power won’t be restored until at least midday Friday…We are grateful for your generous efforts.  Many thanks! Hope you all get some sleep soon! 

    • Tslaz December 13, 2024 (3:11 am)

      Can’t sleep without a CPAP machine…😞

  • Lola December 13, 2024 (2:54 am)

    Almost 3 am still no power on the West Side of 50th & Alaska.  Everyone on the East Side of the street had power restored last night by 9 pm as all the Christmas lights came back on.  We are on a different grid then them.  

  • GHmike December 13, 2024 (4:41 am)

    Genesee Hill is back. Thank you SCL.

  • SGM December 13, 2024 (4:59 am)

    Beach Dr, La Rustica area. Our power just came back on (4:55 am)

  • AS December 13, 2024 (5:07 am)

    Power back on 52nd by Charlestown as of 4:30a, thankfully!!!

  • L December 13, 2024 (5:09 am)

    Power restored for us just before 5am near 60th and Spokane. Grateful for the response crew, sounds like this was a doozy.

  • AB December 13, 2024 (5:10 am)

    Power came back at 3600 block of Beach Dr around 5:00

  • Andy P December 13, 2024 (5:14 am)

    I’m on 50th SW and Alaska. My lights came on at about 4:30 AM. I was starting to worry, but all is good now. Thank you , city light crew.

  • Douglas Greenswag December 13, 2024 (5:17 am)

    Power back near 60th and Spokane at 4:55 a.m.Well done City Light. 

  • Lola December 13, 2024 (5:18 am)

    4:30 the power came back on at 50th & Alaska.  Yay. 

  • Laura December 13, 2024 (5:27 am)

    Got my power back about 4:30 this morning near Dakota and 55th. But a guy in the Starbucks who said he was down by Alki still didn’t have his back.

  • Scott December 13, 2024 (5:56 am)

    Our power came back on at 4:30 AM. Lights and TV  came on to wake me up. 51st Place SW between Oregon and Edmonds

  • CarDriver December 13, 2024 (5:57 am)

    61st and Stevens. I never flickered/lost power. Lucky!  

  • Melody December 13, 2024 (6:20 am)

    Still out on Chilberg Ave. SW.My partner snuck out early to go skiing leaving me here to deal with it…call him Lumpy for the coal he’ll be getting in his Xmas stocking.

  • Pigeon Pointer December 13, 2024 (7:31 am)

    Power is out this morning at Pathfinder school. I can’t imagine it is related to this Beach Drive outage last night but it’s not showing up on the City Light outage site. I called it in this morning but the irritated worker answering the overnight calls wouldn’t listen to me when I indicated that no other homes in our neighborhood appear to have no power at the moment and we are far from the Beach Drive area. He hung up on me so I’m unsure if he’ll be adding this to their site/reporting it. The onsite childcare center did allow kids to be dropped off, so fingers crossed this gets resolved quickly 

  • Yan December 13, 2024 (7:34 am)

    Power is back but no internet service on Beach Drive.

  • Ry December 13, 2024 (7:34 am)

    My astound broadband internet has been out since the power outage started.

  • Puppycat December 13, 2024 (8:54 am)

    Ohhh that explains the lights flickering pretty bad in camp west last night around this time! Hope everyone got their power back. Shout out to city light for being on it and getting this fixed quickly!

  • SCL fan December 13, 2024 (9:52 am)

    We are near the epicenter of the outage and I just want to give a shoutout to the seattle city light employees who worked all night long to get the vast majority of this dealt with in quick order. They were super professional and pleasant despite staring at a full night’s work in the rain on an awful, blackberry bramble-filled hillside! Hoping we can get power back soon though – we’re one of the 140 still impacted!

    • Lola December 13, 2024 (11:14 am)

      SCL Fan,  do we know who is supposed to be taking care of the trees in this Area?  Is it resident owned or City Property where the trees fell?  Just Curious as it seems like the City does not take care of Foleige in a lot of area’s.  

      • SCL Fan December 13, 2024 (12:17 pm)

        I’m not exactly sure where the tree fell. We have a slice of the hillside and maintain that as best we can, but the city owns part of it too – we’ve called in a dead tree or trees leaning on wires in the past and they’ve been fairly receptive to helping if it’s on their property. Not as clear down below where the real damage happened last night though. 

    • Josh December 13, 2024 (12:31 pm)

      we’re part of the 140 too. the jackery’s getting a workout.

  • Chillin’ on Chilberg December 13, 2024 (10:56 am)

    It’s gettin’ chilly on Chilberg. Still no power. 

    • Josh December 13, 2024 (12:30 pm)

      yeah im right around the corner on 59th. it’s frustrating when the west side of the street has power, but we don’t lol. 

  • Peter S. December 13, 2024 (11:01 am)

    Lights flickered a few times, but no outage 52nd/Stevens area.  I assumed some numbskull driver took out a power pole.  Thankful we didn’t lose power, as our street is serviced by the line that runs up Stevens on the edge of Schmitz Park and is vulnerable to tree branches affected by the wind.

    The thing that always strikes me is the widespread impact when these fairly localized events happen.  No big windstorm as several weeks ago.  “Just” a falling tree shorting some adjacent lines.   I’m certainly no electrical engineer, but I would think there would be sufficient fuses or circuit breakers in the system to better limit the scope of damage, since it’s an obviously fragile system.  That would make it easier on the repair crews, as well. 

    Doesn’t bode well if/when we ever another storm like 2006 (I went without power for over a week). Or, “the big one.

    Always grateful to the repair crews. Not an easy job.

  • Josh December 13, 2024 (12:29 pm)

    We are still out as of noon, just behind La Rustica. Luckily I have hot water, but the house is freezing. The fish didn’t make it. My cat thinks I’m doing it on purpose and is mad at me. 

    • WSB December 13, 2024 (12:35 pm)

      So sorry about the fish. We lost our last one after 3 days in the 2006 outage.

  • Jon December 13, 2024 (9:00 pm)

    We’re still without power on 59th near la rustica.  Estimate on Seattle City light outage map now says 10:30pm till power is restored.  It originally said 3:00pm, then 6:30pm, then 7:30pm, now 10:30pm.  Linemen have been hard at work all day, it must have been significant damage.  Hopefully our fish make it.  

  • WestSideMom December 14, 2024 (12:13 am)

    My daughter had just finished flat ironing her hair 5 mins prior to the electricity going out. Our electricity didn’t go out during the cyclone. My neighbors across the street lost power during the cyclone, this time it was our turn

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