Mountain areas in Washington still without power after storm

SKYKOMISH, Wash. (AP) — Portions of a road through rural mountain communities northeast of Seattle reopened, allowing some supplies into an area that has been without power for days because of a series of winter storms that brought several feet of snow to parts of western Washington.

Scattered power outages were reported early Thursday, including in and around the small towns of Skykomish and Baring on U.S. Highway 2, which runs across the Cascade Mountain range.

On Wednesday, crews cleared power lines and trees that had fallen across the roadway, allowing some residents who had been without power for nearly a week to leave and for supplies to be brought in. But authorities warned it could be several days before power is fully restored to the area about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northeast of Seattle.

“Realistically, I’m not expecting power here for another three or four days,” Skykomish Mayor Henry Sladek told The Seattle Times.

Puget Sound Energy spokesman Andrew Padula said the problem that crews are facing is that as soon as one downed line is repaired, “another tree comes down and takes it out again because of the heavy snow.”

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said the state Emergency Management Division brought food, water and fuel to that area between Gold Bar and Skykomish and that they were also offering voluntary evacuations.

“We will work to provide whatever these communities need. The safety of Washingtonians in this region is paramount,” he tweeted.

The Seattle metro area didn't see much new snow Wednesday, but on the Olympic Peninsula northwest of the city people were digging out after getting hit with several feet of snow. Reports from Port Angeles ranged up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) of snow. North of Seattle, Mount Vernon tallied 8 inches of snow while Anacortes recorded 12 inches (30 centimeters).

After several days of freezing temperatures forecasters say warmer weather will arrive by Saturday, melting snow but increasing the threat of flooding.