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March Windstorm Event

We understand how difficult it is to be without power, and we appreciate your patience. Crews continued to make steady progress overnight. Small pockets of customers remain without power in King County, Greenwater, and Skykomish. The plan for today is to continue to assess damage in difficult access areas and restore power as quickly and safely as possible.

Below are updates and current estimated restoration times for hard-hit areas:

  • In Skykomish, crews continue to work on the electric system that feeds the town from the west. An additional helicopter patrol is scheduled for later in the morning. We expect to have power restored to our Skykomish customers by today, March 15 at 8 p.m.
  • In King County, crews continue to repair damage to the system throughout the morning. We still expect most customers will have their power restored by today, March 15 at 8 p.m.
  • In Greenwater, Highway 410 remains closed and the combination of deep snow and many fallen trees is preventing crews and equipment from accessing damaged electric equipment. Based on current conditions, restoration efforts could go into Monday. Estimated times of restoration will be updated in the PSE outage map as we are able to reassess for any improvement to travel and access during today's early daylight.

Estimated restoration times by region are available at pse.com/alerts. As crews are assigned to a repair job, the specific time for that outage will be added to the outage map.

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Safety first. Never touch or go within 35 feet of downed power lines because they might be energized. Call PSE at 1-888-225-5773 or 911 to report problems.

Report and track power outages online

Snoqualmie Falls Hydroelectric Project

Puget Sound Energy's Snoqualmie Falls Hydroelectric Project, located about 30 miles east of Seattle on the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains, is one of the oldest hydropower plants in the United States.

The Snoqualmie Falls Hydroelectric Project is located on the Snoqualmie River in Snoqualmie, Washington. The Project consists of a low diversion dam located 150 feet upstream from Snoqualmie Falls and two powerhouses (Plants 1 and 2) with a total generating capacity of 54 megawatts. Snoqualmie Falls Plant 1, located in a cavern 270 feet below Snoqualmie Falls, was originally built in 1898 as the world's first completely underground powerhouse. Snoqualmie Falls Plant 2, about a quarter-mile downstream from Plant 1, was built in 1910 and expanded in 1957.

After operating for more than a century, the facility still produces clean, renewable electricity for PSE customers. The project contains a small diversion structure just upstream from Snoqualmie Falls, and two powerhouses. The first powerhouse is encased in bedrock 260 feet beneath the surface and was the world's first completely underground power plant. Together, the two power plants currently have 53 megawatts of generating capacity.

Puget Sound Energy redeveloped the Snoqualmie Falls Project between 2010 and 2015, making extensive improvements to Plants 1 and Plant 2 as well as Snoqualmie Falls Park and historic buildings near the falls.

The project received a new, 40-year federal operating license in 2004. The facility recently underwent a four-year redevelopment project, which included substantial upgrades and enhancements to the power-generating infrastructure and public recreational facilities. Check out the recreational opportunities we offer at the facility.

More information

Real-time data on river flows over Snoqualmie Falls

YouTube Video