Astoria, OR — A powerful storm swept through Oregon Thursday morning, bringing heavy winds, rain, and significant disruptions to both power and transportation across the state. Thousands of residents were left without electricity, while road closures and hazardous conditions made travel difficult, particularly for those heading into the mountains.
By late afternoon, approximately 3,300 Portland General Electric (PGE) customers and 6,200 Pacific Power customers were still without power. The outages peaked early Thursday morning, when over 44,000 customers were left in the dark. The Portland metro area and the northern coast around Seaside were among the hardest hit regions, where fallen trees and branches brought down power lines, causing widespread outages.
“The wind and the rain came through, knocking down trees and tree branches, which took power lines with them,” said PGE spokesperson John Farmer. “That’s where we saw the majority of the outages.”
Crews worked around the clock to restore power, with Farmer noting that it had been an “all hands on deck” effort to bring customers back online as quickly and safely as possible.
While the storm’s impact on power was severe, it also caused major disruptions to roadways. A section of Highway 6 toward the Oregon Coast was temporarily closed early Thursday due to downed power lines near milepost 6. The Oregon Department of Transportation confirmed that by 12:48 p.m., traffic was flowing normally again.
Heavy winds, expected to reach gusts of up to 45 mph early in the day, eased as the day progressed. The rain, however, persisted, with more than an inch falling overnight. Steady showers continued into the afternoon, resulting in high water spots across roads in affected areas.
In the mountain regions, an avalanche warning was issued for the Washington Cascades, Mt. Hood, and surrounding passes, including Stevens and Snoqualmie. Authorities warned of high avalanche risks at all elevations, with conditions expected to remain dangerous through Thursday.
The storm’s impact was also felt at local ski resorts. Timberline on Mt. Hood suspended ski operations for the day due to high winds, and at Mt. Hood Meadows, several ski lifts were placed on standby. SkiBowl remained closed for skiing and riding, citing insufficient snow and extreme weather conditions, though the resort continued to offer tubing activities.
As Oregon residents faced power outages and challenging weather conditions, many were left wondering how long it would take for full recovery. PGE and Pacific Power officials emphasized their commitment to restoring service as quickly as possible, while urging drivers to stay safe and be prepared for additional weather-related hazards throughout the day.
