Western WA wind gusts high on 18th anniversary of deadly Hanukkah Eve storm
SEATTLE - On the 18th anniversary of the Hanukkah Eve windstorm, another series of high winds are rolling through western Washington on Saturday, knocking out power to nearly 70,000 customers. as wind gusts largely stayed within a range of 56-64 mph, with some exceptions of 85 mph and 101 mph gusts on Rainier and Crystal Mountain, respectively.
From Dec. 14-16, 2006, a historic storm system barreled through Washington. More than 1.5 million people lost power, and roughly 70% of Puget Sound Energy's infrastructure was wiped out by winds cresting over 100 mph, according to MyNorthwest.
Ultimately, more than a dozen deaths were linked to the storm and its aftereffects. In 2015, FOX 13 spoke with a homeowner who survived the storm. He told us that he always prepares for large storms, similar to the November bomb cyclone event of this year, causing more than $11 million in damages so far. Roughly 600,000 customers lost power in that storm, many for more than four days.
FILE: FOX 13 footage of 2006 Hanukkha Eve windstorm
"We’ve certainly beefed up our preparedness kit since then because we know if there was a citywide disaster there wouldn’t be restaurants out there," the homeowner said. "There wouldn’t be a place to shower. We would be completely on our own."
Since the 2006 storm, utility companies in the Puget Sound region beefed up their infrastructure. Seattle City Light, for example, told us they inspected and replaced thousands of miles of power lines and poles in addition to making agreements with dozens of companies nationwide to patch any gaps for large events.
FOX 13's Franque Thompson did a report on Washington transportation and energy agency windstorm preparedness in November 2024. She spoke with various local and state entities who told us their steps for managing events like the bomb cyclone, and other large storms.
Transportation departments prepared to respond to windstorm in western WA
Strong winds and heavy snowfall are hitting the region Tuesday night. We look at how area transportation departments spent days preparing for their response to road conditions and potential damage.
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