Winter storm downs trees, power lines; mudslide closes highway

TACOMA, Wash. – Wind and rain toppled trees into power lines and homes – and a mudslide shut down a busy highway for several hours.

People inside a Tacoma home near Wright Park got quite a scare when a giant tree came crashing down onto the roof. Luckily nobody was hurt.

It was just one of several incidents blamed on the nasty weather this weekend.

“Never seen anything like that before,” said neighbor Jerome Ward. “We’ve had lots of windstorms. Always wondered if those trees could reach the home, today we got an answer.”

The Tacoma Fire Department says the tree came crashing down early Saturday morning – the person living here was inside at the time.

“She said she was in the bathroom and it just came crashing through the ceiling,” said Ward. “She came running out, she was pretty shaken.”

A sign at the restaurant next door summed it up – mother nature forced them to close.

Firefighters say there was only minor utility damage at the Hob Nob – neighbors believe the tree snapped a gas line.

“When I ran outside, the neighbors all came out, and you could smell gas spewing out,” said Ward.

Strong winds also tossed tree limbs into power lines on Perry Avenue in Bremerton.

Crews also made quick work of several trees that fell onto Interstate 90 near Issaquah.

Plus, a mudslide toppled several trees onto Highway 101 on the Hood Canal.

A semi-truck got caught up in the mess, thankfully nobody was hurt.

The slide shut down the highway for hours. Crews from WSDOT say they’re ready for more bad weather in the forecast.

“Due to the inclement weather that’s coming this weekend we’ll be out here in full force,” said Jake Neva with WSDOT.

Weather may cause more damage across Western Washington because more wind and rain in are the forecast tonight all the way through Monday.