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Power outages reported across western Oregon

Lane County posted this photo of a road closed by down trees and power lines on its Twitter account Monday.
Lane County social media post
Lane County posted this photo of a road closed by down trees and power lines on its Twitter account Monday.

UPDATE as of 3:45 p.m.

By Monday afternoon, crews were making progress in restoring power to thousands of customers who lost their power during Sunday night’s windstorm. But the Central Lincoln PUD says some customers in rural areas of western Lane County and southern Lincoln County should prepare to go without power for three or four days. The utility is asking for help from outside the area to help restore electricity. Roughly 2,500 Central Lincoln customers were still without power as of Monday afternoon.

In the Eugene area, EWEB said it had restored power to all of its customer by noon on Monday, and EPUD said its outages were down to about 40 customers.

Lane Electric reported about 1,600 outages remaining as of Monday afternoon, and Blachly Lane Co-op said about 200 customers were still without power. Pacific Power said roughly 300 customers still lacked power in Linn and Benton Counties.

Meanwhile, roads remain treacherous across the Cascade Mountains, with chains required for most vehicles. Some highways, including US 20 over Santiam Pass, have been closed due to heavy snow and numerous crashes. As of Monday afternoon, I-84 remained closed through the Columbia River Gorge, as well as US 26 over Mount Hood. Drivers can check road conditions in advance by visiting ODOT’s website, tripcheck.com

Original story:

High wind and heavy rains have led to road closures and power outages in parts of western Oregon.

As of mid-day Monday, the majority of the remaining outages were along the Oregon coast. Central Lincoln PUD reported more than 3,500 customers lacked power in their coverage territory, which includes portions of Lincoln, Lane, Douglas and Coos Counties. Meanwhile, the Douglas Electric Cooperative reported that roughly 300 customers were in the dark, mainly in the coastal section of its coverage area.

Inland, EWEB reported only a handful of outages affecting about two dozen customers. But Lane Electric said more than 500 of its customers were without power.

“Crews are working around the clock and continue to identify and fix broken poles and cross arms,” the utility said in a statement late Monday morning.

Blachly Lane Electric Co-op said an unspecified number of customers lacked power Monday morning, and that calls were coming in from Elmira, Highpass, Cheshire and Junction City areas, as well as the Walton and Indian Creek areas.

EPUD said on social media Monday morning that “outages are currently affecting approximately 600 customers in areas of Fall Creek, Lorane, Cottage Grove, Cheshire, Elmira, and Noti due to heavy winds.”

Pacific Power reported about 300 customers lacked electricity by late Monday morning in Linn County, and about 100 customers were in the dark in northern Lincoln County.

While the wind has largely subsided, a flood watch remains in effect for much of western Oregon through Monday evening. The National Weather Service says additional rain, combined with melting snow, could cause high water in low-lying areas that are prone to flooding.

As of mid-day Monday, a handful of smaller roads were closed due to flooding in western Oregon, but heavy snow was impeding travel across the Cascade passes. Chains are required for most vehicles on Santiam Pass and Willamette Pass. By late Monday morning, Interstate 84 remained closed through the Columbia River Gorge.

Drivers can check road conditions in advance by visiting ODOT’s website, tripcheck.com.

Chris Lehman has been reporting on Oregon issues since 2006. He joined the KLCC news department in December 2018 and became News Director in March 2023. Chris was born and raised in Pennsylvania, and graduated from Temple University with a degree in journalism. His public broadcasting career includes stops in Louisiana and Illinois. Chris has filed for national programs including “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.”