Over 1,800 Lose Power in Monday Afternoon Thunderstorm

A combination of gusty winds, lightening, rain and even hail Monday afternoon knocked power out to 1,800 homes and businesses, according to Puget Sound Energy.

According to the PSE Facebook page, a single outage at a power substation in Issaquah was the source of the problem. Several other communities up and down the Puget Sound.

In Fall City, 448 customers lost power, while another outage in Maple Valley affected 1,900 customers. In Poulsbo, 1,667 customers are without power. Overall, over 22,338 customers are without power.

Most of the outages are located in the East King and South King County area.

The outages occurred between 1:45 and 2:15 p.m.

"We have small and scattered outages throughout the territory," said PSE spokesperson MacKenzie McDowell.

She blamed the outages on the gusty winds and the first storm in the area since the full spring foliage has sprouted on local trees.

Once the tree banches are pulled of the line, the power line can be re-energized and power quickly restored to the area, she said.

The National Weather Service has issued a small craft advisory for Puget Sound. Occasional lightening strikes and hail have been reported in lowland areas around Seattle, Tacoma and Everett, with wind gusts of up to 35 miles per hour.

The new line of storms will affect the Cascade foothills and mountains into the late afternoon, according to the NWS.

Puget Sound Energy reports 1,800 Issaquah customers without power. Call PSE at 1-888-225-5773 to report outages. Only call 911 if public safety is at risk.