Cleanup began Wednesday in Washington state after a powerful storm killed three people, cut power to more than 350,000 residents and flooded rivers. Also shut down were Gonzaga, Whitworth, Washington State-Spokane and Eastern Washington universities.
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BC Hydro spokesman Ted Olynyk said trees and branches falling across power lines were responsible for most of the outages.
A motorist was killed near the city of Monroe, northeast of Seattle, when a rain-soaked tree fell from a cliff onto the driver’s auto, said Snohomish County fire chief Merlin Halverson.
The third victim, identified by authorities as Carolyn M. Wilford, 70, died of head injuries after a tree landed on her auto on Highway 904 about 15 miles southwest of Spokane.
Their identities were not immediately released.
More than 360,000 customers were left without power in the Puget Sound region late on Tuesday, Reuters reported. The Snohomish County Public Utility District tweeted that about 130,000 of its customers lacked power. Ferry trips were delayed or canceled in several areas and Sound Transit trains were delayed due to trees and water on the tracks throughout the system.
The public comment period ends Friday evening on Avista’s 20-year Integrated Resource Plan, and the Sierra Club Spokane office says it is submitting more than 1,500 comments from Washingtonians.
Severe, high speed winds along with heavy rain pounded the Northwest today, with wind gusts measured as high as 119 miles per hour in Western Washington.
Tuesday evening flights into and outside of Spokane global Airport were canceled or delayed.
The strong winds and extended downpour caused fewer problems in OR, but roughly 7,000 Portland General Electric customers remained without power in the Portland area. Based on current assessments, Avista still expects it’ll take 3 to 5 days to restore power to the majority of its customers.
North of Seattle, along roads that traverse the Cascade mountains, a mudslide blocked State Route 20 and downed trees and flooding closed parts of U.S. Route 2, the Department of Transportation said.
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Early Tuesday, two weak tornadoes touched down in the northern suburbs of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to the National Weather Service.
