More than 100,000 customers in Washington and Oregon were without power early Wednesday as strong winds and a winter storm were expected to slam parts of the Pacific Northwest through the end of the week.
According to the National Weather Service, nearly four million people were under a winter storm warning as of Wednesday morning.
The Weather Service office in Seattle reported winds of 78 miles per hour on Crystal Mountain, a ski area southeast of Seattle, and gusts of 61 mph on Smith Island.
There was only wet roads and no snow just a few miles south of areas with a lot of snow. With this heavy, wet snow, along with the gusty winds, expect additional tree limbs and power lines to potentially be impacted.
The front was expected to produce coastal rain and snow in the higher altitudes and move east to the Rockies by the end of the week. There was expected to be heavy snow in parts of Northern California.
Heavy snow will fall over the Sierra Nevada Mountains and parts of the Northern Rockies during the night. At the peak of the storm, forecasters said, there would be three inches of snow per hour.
Travel disruptions were expected at higher altitudes and in mountain passes.
The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was prepared to deal with winter weather. Alaska Airlines made up the majority of the 22 flights that were canceled at the airport by early Wednesday. On Tuesday, nearly 200 flights were canceled.
The Washington State Police encouraged residents to travel with caution, reminding them to slow down, to increase their following distance and to be patient. Residents were asked to prepare their homes, cars, and families for winter by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
There were other messages about weather. Mountain travel was discouraged because of heavy mountain and upper foothill snow, and the Weather Service urged residents to secure their holiday decorations ahead of strong winds. Near the border of Northern California, officials opened a severe weather shelter.
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