High Winds Lead To Power Outages Across Region

Portland, Ore. — Thousands of Portland General Electric (PGE) customers in parts of northwestern Oregon experienced power outages on Wednesday morning. PGE attributed many of the outages to adverse weather conditions and downed trees.

At the peak of the storm, PGE’s outage map recorded over 36 outages, affecting approximately 11,500 customers. As of 8:30 a.m., more than 2,500 people remained without power, with PGE crews actively engaged in restoration efforts.

The majority of the outages were concentrated along Highway 26 in Sandy, Welches, and Government Camp.

Meteorologist Chris McGinness from KGW reported on the Sunrise shows that areas accustomed to the east wind were particularly impacted. Crown Point in the Columbia River Gorge recorded a wind gust of 84 mph, while Corbett, Oregon, experienced gusts at 70 mph. Additionally, Camas, Washington, faced wind gusts reaching 45 mph. The wind speeds are anticipated to gradually subside.

Several incidents of fallen trees and branches obstructing roadways were reported. Tree branches were found on the roadway near Southeast Francis Street and Southeast 154th Avenue in Portland, while a large tree fell near Northeast Flanders Street and Northeast 176th Avenue, blocking the roadway.

Highway 8 faced closures in both directions between Southeast Canyon Drive and Southwest Canyon Lane due to downed trees and power lines.

For the latest updates on power outages, you can view PGE’s outage map here. PGE continues its efforts to restore power to affected areas.