The power of the rain and wind storm fuelled by the remnants of Typhoon Songda is now apparent in Oregon where the storm is only expected to sideswipe the state.
The storm is approaching the Pacific Northwest from the southwest and is expected to affect Washington State later this afternoon before directly hitting southern Vancouver Island and Metro Vancouver beginning late evening.
Winds of 137 km/hr, far above the hurricane force threshold, were recorded at Cape Meares just after 2 pm, according to the US National Weather Service (NWS). Over at Portland International Airport, winds have picked up to approximately 85 km/hr.
Videos of the high winds in Oregon:
2PM video: Its a little windy here on the coast near Manzanita…. #LiveOnK2 #orwx pic.twitter.com/rq2EM1TYOv
— Corry Young (@photocorry) October 15, 2016
@NWSPortland Gusts in Coburg, outside of Eugene. pic.twitter.com/6eKuzoBJhE
— Nature Lover (@birdladyor) October 15, 2016
Tens of thousands of customers are without power in the state due to fallen trees and wires. Authorities in Portland have issued a public warning to residents to stay indoors and keep off the roads due to flying debris, traffic signal failures, and live power lines on the ground.
Portland’s light rail system, the MAX LRT, is only semi-operational; trains are significantly delayed due to power outages and localized flooding.
Extensive damage has been reported in some areas of Portland.
The NWS says winds are expected to pick up in the Seattle metro region over the next two hours. At Chehalis, Washington, just south of Olympia and about 70 kilometres east of the coastline, the latest readings indicate winds increased from 35 km/hr at 1:15 pm to 63 km/hr at 2:15 pm.
@bishopwsu Here’s the latest (12Z) run of the GFS. Track is looking reasonable. pic.twitter.com/DjS5L7ed6d
— NWS Portland (@NWSPortland) October 15, 2016
Weather conditions will change quickly: Environment Canada expects strong southeast winds of 60 km/hr to 100 km/hr to develop ahead of the storm in the South Coast late this afternoon, with winds strongest in Metro Vancouver from approximately 9 pm to 2 am. Winds will then shift to southwesterly behind the low.
See also
- Typhoon remnant-enhanced storm on track to hit Metro Vancouver tonight
- Storm spawns tornadoes and waterspouts in BC, Washington State and Oregon
Good luck to Patti and Julie. Two trees on home. @KGWNews pic.twitter.com/WElTWykMTB
— Tim Gordon (@TimGordonKGW) October 15, 2016
Oak tree into house on Cedar St between 15th/16th AVEs. No injuries. MJ pic.twitter.com/QMaIQhwwA7
— Forest Grove Fire (@ForestGroveFire) October 15, 2016
@NWSPortland @TigardOR tree just went down on SW Pfaffle. Down to one lane. pic.twitter.com/keEjp6ONYo
— Ready Northwest (@Ready_Northwest) October 15, 2016
@kristenKOIN6 @NWSPortland @flypdx limb just broke in complex. After heavy wind gust. pic.twitter.com/RSltZUsKRc
— Goblin Sage (@GoblinSage) October 15, 2016
Tree falls on 500 block of South Market Boulevard, traffic down to one lane south for three blocks #wawx pic.twitter.com/svo1Iz3ydr
— Pete Caster (@ChronPete) October 15, 2016
Stoplights out on McLoughlim Blvd. #pdxtst pic.twitter.com/b9ekg1uPdg
— Dillon Pilorget (@DillonPilorget) October 15, 2016
Yaquina Bay bar remains closed. 10 to 12-foot steep, choppy swells w/14-foot breaks. Winds at 35-45 knots and low visibility. pic.twitter.com/Dk9T83Beiy
— USCGPacificNorthwest (@USCGPacificNW) October 15, 2016
Tree into a home. Holly Dr in Newberg pic.twitter.com/SUpDLK0bcX
— YamCo Watch (@YamCoWatch) October 15, 2016
Vancouver is starting to get hit with really strong wind gusts. Tree down in the neighborhood north of Evergreen High. @WashCoScanner pic.twitter.com/nIZkqtCLVl
— Zach aka Sabas (@TheR3my) October 15, 2016
Hurricane flags in #newportoregon #orwx pic.twitter.com/CiA1iW7995
— Kelsey adkisson (@KelseyAdkisson) October 15, 2016
Tree into a house. 1700 block of N Main St. Newberg pic.twitter.com/QNLm5CBLNz
— YamCo Watch (@YamCoWatch) October 15, 2016
@NWSPortland The result of a strong gust in Aloha. This roof is brand new…😣 pic.twitter.com/CBzOOz3BUp
— Jaime Carter (@mauijaim) October 15, 2016
Branch came down on my car while driving on Johnson Creek. Stay off the roads, y’all. #pdxweather #pdxtst pic.twitter.com/RnFVa1U4cQ
— our lady of hashtags (@NotNotHaley) October 15, 2016
Tree down SE Pine at 12th. #pdxtst pic.twitter.com/36k918wBdM
— Sarah Armstrong (@SarahArm) October 15, 2016
Cape Disappointment Park is showing a bunch of windy weather in the surf. Awesome power!@KGWNews pic.twitter.com/OggHYaKri2
— Steven Redlin (@StevenRedlin) October 15, 2016
Power is out in Beaverton near SW Allen & Hall Blvd. #kgwweather pic.twitter.com/L6fDu2qohs
— Kyle Iboshi (@KyleIboshi) October 15, 2016
Alert: Portland Aerial Tram halting operations. Bus shuttles en route. Normal Sat end: 5pm. #pdxtst #pdxtraffic @OHSUNews @PortlandTram
— PDX Transportation (@PBOTinfo) October 15, 2016
Fallen tree 16th and Hawthorne #KOIN6News https://t.co/IiZXRWv5o6 pic.twitter.com/JiwTJOXD9L
— KOIN News (@KOINNews) October 15, 2016