C.O. winds topples trees, power lines; Mt. Bachelor shut
(Update: Midstate outages down to fewer than 800 members; Mt. Bachelor closes for the day; top wind gusts at 74 mph; 105-mph gust on Mt. Bachelor)
A windstorm brought gusts to 70 mph or higher to much of Central Oregon Wednesday, knocking down hundreds of trees, some falling onto roads and into power lines and cutting power to thousands of residents in the La Pine-Sunriver area, officials said.
The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning for the east slopes of the Cascades (La Pine/Sunriver) until 1 p.m. Wednesday for westerly winds 25-40 mph with occasional gusts to 60 mph and a wind advisory for other areas of Central Oregon for southwest winds 25-35 mph, gusting to 50 mph.
A 63 mph gust was reported to the north, near Shaniko, around 5:15 a.m., the NWS reported. The NWS reporting station in La Pine reported 49 mph gusts at 9:45 and 10:15 a.m.
A Sunriver resident’s rooftop weather station clocked a 59 mph gust around 10:40 a.m., shortly after a slightly less strong one that sent a 60 to 70-foot tree toppling into the street in front of their home.
Around the same time, an NWS storm spotter near Sisters reported a 74 mph gust, while one in the Three Rivers area south of Sunriver reported a 70 mph gust.
The winds were even higher up on the slopes of Mt. Bachelor, where dangerous conditions prompted the resort to halt all lift operations for the rest of Wednesday. A gust to 105 mph was reported around 10 a.m. at the Northwest chairlift.
The conditions report said the winds were “causing huge lift swing and multiple trees falling on the mountain.” They also noted reports of trees down on the road to the resort and urged drivers to be cautious.
Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies responded to about a dozen downed-tree reports since just before 8 a.m., Sgt. William Bailey reported.
Bailey said he had not heard of any long-term road closures as crews were “clearing the hazards pretty quickly.” Holmes Road was cleared of a fallen tree, as was Century Drive near milepost 6.
Bailey said they had received about 20 reports of downed trees and hazards by 10 a.m., including along Holmes and Lower Bridge roads, Zuni Road in Deschutes River Woods, Gerking Market Road and Highway 20 near Cloverdale Road.
“South county is being hit hardest, but we’ve had trees down in other areas,” he said.
“Please be aware of the high winds and use caution around trees and power lines until the winds subside later today,” the sheriff’s office said. “Motorists should also use caution when driving and be prepared for trees or other hazards to be down in the roadway.”
By late afternoon, the DCSO’s wind-related calls had climbed to 50, Bailey said, including a partial tree that fell onto a house south of Sunriver. No injuries have been reported in the incidents, he added.
Midstate Electric Cooperative reported more than 2,100 members out of power as of about 10 a.m., mostly in the Three Rivers/Deschutes River Recreational Homesites area and around La Pine State Park.
The utility said crews were working to restore power as soon as possible – and by early afternoon, fewer than 800 people still were without power.
