Weather
Puyallup Parks Closed; Outages, Downed Trees Reported
All parks have been closed as Puyallup deals with a flood watch and wind advisory. Power outages and downed trees have been reported as well
PUYALLUP, WA — Heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 25 miles an hour are resulting in downed trees, numerous power outages, and the closure of all city parks and trails.
As a Category 5 atmospheric river pummels the Seattle area, Puyallup is being hit with rains of up to a half an inch, and wind gusts from 18-25 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service. The city, like most of the Seattle area, is under a Flood Watch until Tuesday at 4 p.m. PST, and a Wind Advisory until Monday at 4 p.m. PST.
Puyallup Police announced on Twitter Monday morning that all city parks and trails are closed due to high winds. Park staff will assess the safety of the parks and trails once the weather subsides, likely later Monday afternoon, and notify the public when they have reopened. This has not been updated as of Monday at 6 p.m.
Find out what's happening in Puyallupfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
ALL City Parks and Trails are closed due to high winds. Park Staff will assess the safety of the parks and trails once the weather subsides and will notify when its safe to reopen them. Please stay safe! pic.twitter.com/hMZCTheovq
— Puyallup Police (@PuyallupPD) November 15, 2021
No school closures have been reported in Puyallup, though districts in Bellingham, Ferndale, Mount Baker, Orcas Island, Meridian, and Lynden Christian have all been closed. One 911 call has been reported for a downed trees at the 2700 block of 9th Street Southwest, a Puyallup Public Works employee told Patch. Crews are currently on-scene. No street flooding has been reported, Public Works said.
Puget Sound Energy is reporting numerous small power outages throughout Puyallup. As of 2:28 p.m., five outages in Puyallup are affecting a total of 150 people. The largest one, affecting 126, is centered around the intersection of 21st Avenue Southeast and 19th Avenue Southeast.
Find out what's happening in Puyallupfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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.
At least 3 rivers have reached record levels with this flood event so far. - Nooksack R. @ Cedarville - Samish R. near Burlington - Bogachiel R. near La Push#wawx pic.twitter.com/oqTVpaX7Sl
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) November 15, 2021
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