High winds cause power outage in Snohomish County

SNOHOMISH COUNTY -- The lights are back on in south Everett’s Picnic Point community.

People there were without power for about nine hours Tuesday.

"We hope the power comes back on. We don't have any heat, I mean as far as the fireplace. We got gas but it won't light. Without power the igniter won't work so, that's why we're in trouble,” homeowner Jerry Hickok said.

Neighbors say seconds before the outage there was what sounded like an explosion.

"I heard a big pop, like a big pop and then about 30 seconds later like an explosion that came from about right over there,” homeowner Delain Johnson said



Snohomish County PUD crews were racing all over the county; identifying problems and making the fix as quickly as possible.

At the height of the outage, thousands of PUD customers were without power.

Picnic Point is an established neighborhood with lots of tall trees.

Power outages happen every year, but this time the power, some say, has been out longer than in past years.

Still, they are used to it and prepared for whatever comes.

"I certainly have candles and I have flashlights and I know where they are so I don't have to go hunting for them,” homeowner Michael Skeffington said.

The high wind warning in Snohomish County lasts until 8 o’clock in the morning so more outages are possible.

But, for now, the main concern is getting the power back on.

Jerry Hickok says he's staying home until the lights are back on but his wife had had enough.

"My wife decided she was going to go shopping and so she took the car and went shopping,” Hickok said.

The PUD says they have crews out working right now and say they have more on standby waiting to work throughout the night if necessary.

If you have a power outage in your area let us know.  Send us an email with the details at Tips@q13fox.com.