Strong winds swept across western Washington on the afternoon of September 25, 2026, leaving a large portion of the region without electricity. At approximately 1:15 p.m. local time, Puget Sound Energy reported that the gusty conditions had caused widespread outages, affecting tens of thousands of residents and businesses.
The utility confirmed that more than 50,000 of its customers were without power as a result of the high winds. In total, the outages impacted over 60,000 people across the affected area, highlighting the extensive reach of the storm‑driven disruption.
Puget Sound Energy attributed the loss of service directly to the strong, gusty winds that moved through the region. The wind speeds were sufficient to damage overhead lines and other components of the electric distribution network, triggering automatic shutoffs and manual interventions to protect the system.
The outage pattern was consistent across western Washington, where the wind event was reported as a significant weather occurrence for the day. Residents in the affected zones experienced sudden loss of lighting, heating, and electronic devices, as well as interruptions to communications that rely on electrical power.
Utility crews were dispatched to assess and begin repairs on the damaged infrastructure. While specific restoration timelines were not disclosed, the focus remained on restoring service to the more than 50,000 Puget Sound Energy customers and the broader population of over 60,000 people who were left in the dark.
Officials emphasized that the high winds were the primary factor behind the outage, and they continued to monitor weather conditions for any further impact on the power grid. The incident underscores the vulnerability of the region’s electrical network to severe wind events.