The weather turned nasty here on South Whidbey Island once again this week, but the South End escaped much of the havoc brought by record rainfall throughout the Puget Sound.

Heavy snowfall Saturday followed by high winds and steady rain caused at least 78 Puget Sound Energy customers to lose power at midnight Sunday.

“By noon on Monday, we had just one home left and power should be restored very soon,” said PSE spokeswoman Gretchen Aliabadi said.

Power restored maybe, but for the children at Wellington Day School in Clinton, life remains a bit soggy.

“The water snuck into the building and we have an inch or more,” director Beth Itaya explained. “So we had to leave for two weeks while it dries out and the carpeting is replaced. But we have a home thanks to the good people of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church and Pastor Mickel Husted.”

Soils soaked with rainwater led to numerous landslides across Whidbey.

At Columbia Beach south of the Clinton ferry dock, long-time homeowner Diane Montgomery reported a mudslide which crossed the street into a neighbor’s garage.

“There was a new Corvette and Lexus inside the garage, both heavily damaged,” she said.

The neighborhood has grown familiar with failing hillsides due to wet weather.

“This happens pretty much every year and you learn to take precautions and hope homeowners on the cliff above have done the same,” Montgomery said.

Montgomery contacted the owners of the damaged home, Pete and Carole Falleen, at their other home in Arizona. The couple was anxious to see the damage firsthand.

“They booked a flight back here to check things out,” Montgomery said.

Problems on Whidbey were hit-and-miss over the weekend.

“We’ve had some trees down in a couple of spots. Minor stuff,” said Island County Public Works Director Bill Oakes.

One tree fell and blocked Langley Road late Sunday night, he said, and some mudslides were also being reported in other locations.

County crews removed a slide that blocked Double Bluff Road early Monday morning. The county kept a front-loader and crew at the scene to remove sand and other material that continued to cascade onto the roadway.

High winds whipped homes along Whidbey’s coastline throughout the day. But some who came to see big waves at Double Bluff Beach left disappointed, and said they expected to see more dramatic surf at the county park.

Crews also placed numerous “Water over Roadway” signs on county roads across the island Monday.

About 3:30 p.m. Monday a tree fell directly on power lines on Bayview Road, knocking out power at Bayview Corner and forcing the closure of the busy roadway for several hours between Coles and Andreason roads. Power to the Bayview area was restored by 9 p.m.

Jay Albrecht from the National Weather Service in Seattle said winds from 20 to 40 mph could be expected in the region for the next few days with more rain throughout the week.

Albrecht said the storm was caused by hurricane-force winds along the Washington coast and heavy rain elsewhere. More than 9 inches of rainfall was reported on the Olympic Peninsula and over 5 inches fell in Seattle, causing urban flooding and mudslides.

“Cold air from Alaska clashed with two tropical cyclones coming northeast from the South Pacific; there was a lot of energy and lots of wind,” Albrecht said.

The major concern now on the mainland is swollen rivers.

“There’s a flood watch underway for several rivers in the western part of the state,” Albrecht said. “You’re fortunate not to have rivers on Whidbey but we’ve been hearing about some mudslides.”

The U.S. Navy said a search-and-rescue Knighthawk helicopter was launched just after 12:30 p.m. Monday from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island to provide rescue support for flood-stranded Lewis County residents.

The helicopter, carrying a five-member Firewood 3 crew, took flight shortly after a request by the Washington State and Lewis County Emergency Operations Center for help in picking up families trapped on rooftops to safety.

Jeff VanDerford can be reached at 221-5300 or jvanderford@southwhidbeyrecord.com.

Brian Kelly contributed to this report.