Storm forecast to bring blustery winds across High Desert prompts warnings about outages, travel challenges

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Central Oregon began seeing the impacts Tuesday night of a major storm sweeping into the West Coast, with winds gusting past 50 mph in places as rain, snow or a mix continued to fall.

A high wind warning is in effect across much of Central Oregon until 10 a.m. Wednesday for south to southeast winds 30-40 mph and possible gusts up to 60 mph. Forecasters warned damaging winds could topple trees and power lines and make for challenging travel, especially for high-profile vehicles.

Meanwhile, a winter weather advisory is in place until 10 a.m. Wednesday for the east slopes of the Cascades above 3,500 feet. Two to eight inches of snow are expected, possibly 10 inches at higher elevations, along with those winds gusting up to 60 mph.

Early signs of damage or outages late Tuesday were minimal. A tree branch fell onto a power line feeding a transformer for a single residence in Madras around 8 p.m., Police Chief Timothy Plummer said. More residents saw probably a "three-second flicker" earlier in the

Madras Airport reported a wind gust to 52 mph around 6:30 p.m., while Redmond Airport had a 44 mph gust just before 8 p.m. and Bend Airport a 38 mph gust around 3:15 p.m.

Tracee Tuesday spoke with Pacific Power spokesman Simon Gutierrez about how the utility prepares for such windstorms, and with Central Oregon Tree Experts owner Brett Miller about the dangers and how homeowners can care for trees to reduce the risk of losses or damage through a potentially stormy winter.

Her report is coming up on NewsChannel 21 First at Ten on Fox and Eleven on NBC.