THIS IS AN ARCHIVED NEWS STORY FROM 2020 AND THE CONTENTS OF THIS ARTICLE MAY NO LONGER APPLY. FOR THE LATEST COMMUNITY NEWS CLICK HERE.

A wind advisory is in effect from 10 a.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday. You can expect south winds of 20-30 mph with gusts up to 40-45 mph. Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. The strongest winds are expected to be late this afternoon through this evening.

We've set up a webpage that has information and tips to combat all sorts of severe weather events that show up in our area. You can read all of them at newcastlewa.gov/weather, but here are the important tips for windstorms:

Do not call 911 if your power is out, unless your safety is at risk. Report the outage to Puget Sound Energy online at pse.com/outage or in the PSE mobile app (download it at pse.com/app). PSE offers outage information, including restoration estimates, on its outage map at pse.com/outage/outage-map and on the mobile app. During previous power outages, the PSE app was working, but the website was not, so it’s good to have both options on hand.

POWER OUTAGE SAFETY TIPS

• Drivers, remember, if you come to an intersection where the traffic lights are out, treat it like a four-way stop.

• Turn off lights and appliances.

• Leave one light switch on so you’ll know when your power is back on.

• Use flashlights instead of candles.

• Keep your freezer and refrigerator doors closed and open them only when it is necessary.

• Never use a gas range, indoor cooker, charcoal or gas barbecue for heating.

• Close curtains and drapes to keep the heat in.

• Wear warm clothes in layers.

During a windstorm it’s not uncommon to find downed power lines. PSE says to assume it’s energized and stay as far away as you can before calling 911 or 1-888-225-5773 to report it. Do not drive over a downed power line. Even if the lines are not energized, downed wires can get entangled with your vehicle and cause further damage.