651 Still Without Power In Lakewood: PSE

LAKEWOOD, WA — Heavy rains have mostly died down in Lakewood after heavy rains and winds hit the city Monday morning.

The National Weather Service reports Lakewood is 50 degrees and partly cloudy as 2:45 p.m. Monday. Winds, which gusted as high as 30 miles an hour Monday morning, are reported at 17 miles an hour. The city is still under a Flood Watch until 4 p.m. PST Monday, and a Wind Advisory until Tuesday at 4 p.m.

On Tuesday, the NWS reports a 40% chance of showers, with a high of 51 degrees.

As of 4 p.m., Puget Sound Energy is still reporting power outages affecting a total of 651 customers in the area west of Steilacoom Lake.

Despite school closures in Bellingham, Ferndale, Mount Baker, Orcas Island, Meridian, and Lynden, the Clover Park School District has not reported any closures.

Pierce County is not reporting any road closures near Lakewood, though caution is advised on C Street South to the east of Harry Sprinker Recreation Center due to street flooding, and on 8th Street East in Parkland due to flooding. 22nd AVenue East and 156th St. Ct. E. are closed as of 3:15 due to a downed tree.

Patch is awaiting comment from the Lakewood Department of Public Works regarding reports of downed trees and flooding in the city.

The atmospheric river wreaked havoc across the state throughout Monday. In Pierce County, numerous roads were closed, though as of Monday afternoon most roads are open, and the county simply recommends caution around South Hill.

The situation in Skagit County was especially dire, where residents of Hamilton and Forks were evacuated Monday morning, according NBC News 5. The U.S. Coast Guard said Monday that it was helping evacuate residents west of Forks, near Highway 110. The Whatcom County Sheriff's Office also reports a rescue of stranded residents near Everson.

Northbound I-5 in Bellingham was blocked for several hours due to downed trees and a partial landslide on the roadway. State Rte. 539 is also closed, while Sumas police near the Canadian border reportedly told residents there is no reasonably safe way to get to Bellingham, NBC News said.

The National Weather Service's Seattle office reported winds of up to 58 miles an hour at Sea-Tac Airport at around 10:30 a.m. Monday, 65 miles an hour in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 55 mph at Port Townsend, and 50 in Port Angeles.

The NWS Seattle reported record rain levels at the Nooksack River at Cedarville, the Samish River near Burlington, the Calawah River near Forks, and the Bogachiel River near La Push.

Experts are providing a number of safety tips for flooding and outages, including unplugging all electronics, discussing and planning an evacuation procedure, keeping important documents and valuables in a water-tight safe deposit box, and checking to see if you're eligible for flood insurance.

Related:

• Coast Guard Helps Evacuate Residents From Flooding Near Forks
• High Winds Knock Out Power For Thousands In King County Monday