Strong winds leave over 100,000 without power in US West Coast

25 Feb 2025 16:07

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Strong winds leave over 100,000 without power in US West Coast

A large tree blocks the road along NE 24th Avenue on Monday, Feb. 15 in Portland, Ore., after a weekend winter storm toppled it. (Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian via AP)

More than 100,000 people across Washington and Oregon were left without power Tuesday morning after strong winds hit the Pacific Northwest.

The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that strong wind gusts could be a danger to people and vehicles, News.Az reports, citing Newsweek.

It also warned of the possibility for property or tree damage, adding that particularly strong winds could make driving difficult, especially for trucks and other high-profile vehicles.

As of 12:40 a.m. PT, more than 42,000 customers were experiencing power outages in Washington, with a further 76,000 without power in Oregon, according to PowerOutage.us, a website that tracks disruptions.

At the time of writing, most outages in Oregon were concentrated in the northwestern region of the state.

There were more than 21,000 disruptions in Clackamas County alone, more than 8,000 in Tillamook and almost 7,000 in Clatsop.

There were also about 7,500 in Washington County, more than 4,000 in Marion County and about 3,500 in Yamhill County.

In Washington, Snohomish County recorded 14,095 outages, Pierce County almost 9,000 and Thurston County more than 7,000.

The NWS issued high wind warnings for the area, signaling that "high wind speeds may pose a hazard."

The weather service said Central Oregon could expect winds of 20 to 30 mph, with gusts between 45 and 60 mph.

In Washington's central coast and north coast, 30 to 35 mph winds with gust up to 55 to 70 mph were possible, it said.

Areas around Bremerton and Seattle could see gusts up to 60 mph.

The NWS said, "Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines."

News.Az