Winds fell trees, power lines
High winds toppled trees and cut power to thousands of residents in southeast Washington and northeast Oregon early Friday.
Winds gusting more than 60 mph were reported in the Walla Walla area, reaching 78 mph at the Walla Walla Regional Airport at midmorning, said Robert Cramp, spokesman for the National Weather Service.
Flights were temporarily canceled at the Walla Walla airport and some streets and highways were closed. Immediately after the storm, 19,000 homes and businesses were without power. Crews worked to restore service to some customers, and that number was down to 14,350 in southeast Washington and northeast Oregon late Friday, said Pacific Power spokesman Tom Gauntt. Most were in the Walla Walla area.
A tree fell on three buildings at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Walla Walla, forcing officials to evacuate the buildings and establish an emergency operations center.
No patients or employees were injured during the storm, but all clinics were shut down and appointments for the day were canceled as a safety precaution.
VA officials said they would begin a damage assessment as soon as weather conditions permit.
The Oregon Department of Transportation closed stretches of Interstate 84 from Hermiston to Baker City. The department suggested that travelers reconsider plans for travel on Interstates 5 and 84 and U.S. 97 because storms may force more closures.
In Montana, authorities closed both the eastbound and westbound lanes on Interstate 90 Friday evening, from mile marker 330 to marker 337. The patrol said high winds toppled six or seven tractor-trailers on that stretch between 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
The Montana Highway Patrol said Friday night that a high-wind advisory was in effect in the area until this morning, and the interstate could remain closed until it is lifted.
In Western Washington, a teenage girl was reported missing after a snow avalanche near Mount Pilchuck in Snohomish County.
A sheriff’s spokeswoman, Rebecca Hover, said a group of adults and children went into the woods near a popular hiking trail off the Mountain Loop Highway on Friday afternoon when the avalanche trapped three children near a lake called Lake 22.
She said two of the children were able to escape, but a girl, believed to be about 13, was reported missing. Her name and hometown were not immediately available.
A Colorado avalanche killed a 27-year-old man while he was skiing outside the boundaries of Vail ski resort Friday morning, and experts say an approaching snowstorm is likely to increase the danger of fresh slides.
It was the 14th avalanche death this season in the nation.