Washington gets windstorms every year, concentrated in the wetter months, and certain areas get considerably more than others — coastal Pierce and Kitsap, the exposed parts of Whatcom County affected by Fraser Valley outflow, and the eastern Clark County communities near the Columbia Gorge.
Trees
The largest single source of serious damage. Falling limbs and whole trees cause structural damage, take out power lines and block access.
What to look at before the season: limbs overhanging the roof, dead or dying trees within falling distance of the house, trees leaning noticeably, and anything with visible trunk damage or fungal growth at the base.
This is not a DIY assessment beyond the obvious. A tree that looks fine can be compromised internally, and an arborist can tell you things you cannot see. It is worth doing for anything large enough to reach the house.
The roof
Wind finds the weak point. A shingle already lifted, a flashing detail already loose, a ridge cap already compromised — these are where wind damage starts, and they were problems before the storm.
Checking the roof in early autumn and addressing anything loose is worth more than anything you can do once a storm warning is issued.
Coastal and Gorge-exposed properties should be more attentive to this than sheltered inland ones, because wind uplift there is a routine load rather than an occasional event.
Everything loose outside
Garden furniture, umbrellas, trampolines, bins, empty planters, unsecured sheets of material. In sustained high wind these become projectiles, and the damage they do to windows and siding is entirely avoidable.
Have somewhere to put them, and do it when the forecast warns rather than when the wind arrives.
Gutters, again
Washington windstorms usually arrive with heavy rain. Clogged gutters during a wind-driven downpour overflow immediately and push water against the wall in exactly the conditions where wind is already driving it into any gap.
Power outages
Windstorms bring down lines, and rural and foothill areas can be out for extended periods.
Have torches, batteries, charged power banks and a way to keep phones alive. Know how your heating behaves in an outage — most gas furnaces will not run without electricity, and heat pumps certainly will not.
In Eastern Washington an outage during sustained cold is a genuine risk to plumbing rather than merely uncomfortable, which is why generator interlocks and transfer switches come up more often in Spokane. Both are regulated work requiring a permit and an electrician.
During the storm
Stay away from windows on the exposed side. Do not go outside to secure things once the wind is up. Never approach a downed power line — treat every one as live.
Afterwards
Document everything before any repair, with dated photographs. Insurance claims depend on evidence of the damage as it occurred.
Take reasonable steps to prevent further damage — tarping an opened roof, for instance — and keep the receipts, because mitigation costs are generally more recoverable than damage you allowed to worsen.
Then be careful about who you hire. Storm-chasing contractors appear in affected neighbourhoods within days, using urgency and insurance framing to secure quick signatures. Check Washington L&I registration yourself before signing anything, and remember that a tarp buys you the time to do it properly.