More than 110,000 power customers lost electricity across Western Washington on Saturday evening, November 7, 2026, when a powerful cold front swept through the region with heavy rain, near-record heat, and strong winds, according to Emeraldcityweather.
The storm system lashed the coast during the late afternoon and evening. Because many trees remained leafy following a calm autumn, branches shattered easily under the pressure. The core of the storm moved toward upper coastal British Columbia while its associated frontal system packed a punch moving onshore overnight.
By 9:30 p.m., Western Washington had just over 115,000 customers without power. Seattle City Light had about 46,000 customers in the dark. Outages eventually spread across Burien, White Center, SeaTac, Tukwila, and Boulevard Park. Seattle City Light reported at least 20,582 customers without electricity across the region, with a Burien outage starting at 8:42 p.m. affecting 4,884 customers. Tacoma Public Utilities reported just over 3,500 customers without power as of 10:30 p.m.
In West Seattle, residents heard a transformer blow during a severe gust, prompting a wave of 911 calls. Arterial roads suffered immediate blockages, with Avalon Way taped off in front of Luna Park Café due to downed lines and tree trouble, alongside a wired-down call reported in North Admiral at 46th and Massachusetts.
Capitol Hill found itself encircled by outages as well, flanked by major transformer failures including over 4,500 customers out in the Leschi area and nearly 4,000 in Montlake and Eastlake, alongside spots of outages in First Hill and Squire Park.
Along the outer coast, winds peaked around 60 mph, while marine waters experienced gale warnings with gusts up to 35 to 40 knots overnight. Washington State Ferries monitored the weather and faced potential cancellations for late-night crossings on routes such as Port Townsend due to strong winds and rough seas. Outer coast beaches saw seas reach 20 to 26 feet with powerful surf run-up carrying debris like logs and generating sneaker waves.
Before the rain and gales arrived, temperatures reached into the mid to even upper 60s, with Seattle officially reaching 62 degrees. Bellingham broke its daily record by hitting 66 degrees, while local gauges around Tacoma registered 67 degrees and parts of Central Washington touched the low 70s.
🌧️HEADS UP I-5 TRAVELERS IN LEWIS CO. 🚨All lanes of SB I-5 near US 12 (MP 68) are blocked due to a multi-vehicle collision and downed trees. ⚠️REMINDER: With heavy rain tonight, slow down, watch for roadway debris & leave extra space between vehicles. Stay safe out there! https://t.co/VEbsSb5epZ pic.twitter.com/qhhoQ3jKet
The National Weather Service issued wind advisories across Seattle, Bellingham, the San Juan Islands, Whidbey Island, Everett, Marysville, Shoreline, Lynnwood, South Everett, Port Townsend, and parts of King and Pierce counties.
Coastal areas including Ocean Shores, Westport, Neah Bay, La Push, Queets, and Quillayute faced expected gusts reaching 60 mph. All wind alerts were cancelled just after 1 a.m. Sunday.
Utility repair efforts continued through the night, reducing the overall numbers to about 50,000 by 4:30 a.m. Sunday. Utility repair efforts continued into the morning as residual showers moved across the region, while forecasters tracked additional weather systems lined up across the North Pacific to bring further rain and breezy conditions the following week.