Strong winds knock out power to thousands during Washington state storm

Strong, gusty winds toppled trees and branches as a storm struck Whatcom County at midday Tuesday, Oct. 13, knocking out electricity to thousands of residents and scattering leaves and branches over roadways.

More than 11,000 Puget Sound Energy customers were without power about 2:30 p.m., as winds gusted above 40 mph across western Whatcom County, the utility showed at its online outage map.

At least one person was hurt in the storm, a Western Washington University maintenance worker who was hit by a falling tree, said WWU spokesman Paul Cocke.