Power went out for almost 5,000 customers in West Seattle's Arbor Heights area Saturday night as strong winds and rain swept through the region, with reports starting to roll in just before 9 p.m. The outage struck during a burst of wind and rain, and residents began calling 911 after hearing what they described as a transformer or fuse blowing nearby.
According to West Seattle Blog, which was tracking the storm in real time, power outage reports began coming in from Arbor Heights at 8:44 p.m. Saturday, even before the outage showed up on Seattle City Light's official map. Two minutes later, at 8:46 p.m., the outage appeared on that map, showing almost 5,000 customers without power. The outlet also reported that 911 was fielding calls from people who said they heard a transformer or fuse blow during the burst of wind and rain, though it's not established that the sound was the actual cause of the outage.
A Wind Advisory Was Already in Effect
The outage hit as a Wind Advisory covering Seattle and the surrounding region remained active. The National Weather Service had issued the advisory for the overnight hours of Nov. 7 and 8, with it set to stay in effect until 4 a.m. Sunday, per Westside Seattle. Forecasters called for south winds of 15 to 25 mph, with gusts reaching 45 to 50 mph across the area, and the advisory specifically warned that gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and cause isolated power outages.
KIRO 7 News Seattle had similarly been warning of trouble ahead of the storm, forecasting wind gusts of around 40 to 50 mph with the peak expected sometime between 7 p.m. and midnight Saturday. The station noted that power outages were possible that evening as a cold front moved through, and it also predicted strong downpours, with many places potentially seeing more than half an inch of rain, according to KIRO 7 News Seattle.
Seattle City Light Still Investigating
Seattle City Light acknowledged crews were responding to an outage in the West Seattle area, writing on X that the cause was under investigation and that an estimated restoration time had not yet been determined, directing residents to its online outage map for updates. The cause of Saturday's outage, the final number of customers affected, and when power was ultimately restored have not been confirmed.
West Seattle has seen its share of outages in recent months. In September, a report of homes and businesses without power eventually surpassed 5,500, and West Seattle Blog's reporting on that incident noted the situation was counted by Seattle City Light as two separate outages, with a utility spokesperson attributing the cause to a pole fire. Another outage, reported by Westside Seattle in late November 2025, initially affected 2,951 customers before that number dropped to 587; restoration in that case wasn't expected until around 5 p.m., though the outlet noted outages are often resolved before their target times.
