Strong Wind — Greater Vancouver Area, Washington

2019-01-05 to 2019-01-06 · Greater Vancouver Area, Washington

Event narrative

Weather stations recorded wind gusts up to 40 to 45 mph, with stronger winds recorded just south at the Portland Airport, which recorded wind gusts up to 54 mph. Most impacts were observed closer to the Columbia River in Vancouver. At one point, Clark County PUD said close to 100,000 customers lost power. A power failure in Clark County triggered a sewage spill near the bridge spanning Salmon Creek. Two NWS employees had trees blow down in their yards in Vancouver.

Wider weather episode

A strong low pressure system moving up the coast from the south brought strong southerly winds across all of southwest Washington. The strongest winds were recorded along the coast, but winds observed in the southwest interior weren't much weaker than what was observed along the coast.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 802479. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.