The wind during an ice storm in January 2024 took its toll on trees at Portland's Mt. Tabor Park. The National Weather Service warned areas, including parts of the Willamette Valley and the greater Portland/Vancouver metro area, could see damaging winds with gusts reaching up to 50 miles per hour on Feb. 24, 2025.
Nick Warren / OPB / OPB
Ten of thousands of homes were without power Monday night as powerful winds made their way across Southwest Washington and most of Oregon.
The outages came after forecasters with the National Weather Service issued a series of thunderstorm and high wind warnings Monday afternoon.
The NWS warned areas, including parts of the Willamette Valley and the greater Portland/Vancouver metro area, could see damaging winds with gusts reaching up to 50 miles per hour.
As of 8 p.m. Monday, Portland General Electric reported more than 1,000 active outages affecting more than 60,000 customers.
“PGE crews are out right now assessing damage and making repairs and will work as quickly as safety allows to restore service,” said John Farmer, a PGE spokesperson. “We encourage customers to stay prepared for potential outages this evening as forecasted windy weather conditions continue.”
Pacific Power also saw scattered, widespread outages. The electric utility reported at least 200 active outages Monday night affecting more than 30,000 customers. While a majority of the outages were still under investigation, officials with Pacific Power said it’s likely many of the outages are a result of downed trees or branches on power lines.
According to Clark Public Utilities, more than 8,000 customers are without power in Clark County.
Several downed trees and power lines have been reported and officials are asking people to avoid travel if possible. Electric utilities are also reminding people who come across a downed powerline to stay away.
Monday’s high wind warning, which includes most of the north and central Oregon Coast, is in effect until at least Tuesday morning.
Parts of Oregon saw severe weather as early as Monday afternoon. Just before 5:30 p.m., forecasters issued a tornado warning for parts of Clackamas and Marion counties, including Silverton and Molalla. A tornado did not appear to touch down, but residents of those areas on social media reported seeing significant cloud movements before the warning had passed.
The NWS also issued a separate high wind warning for parts of Central Oregon and the southern foothills of Oregon’s Blue Mountains. That warning is in effect through 4 p.m. Tuesday.
