High winds buffet Pacific Northwest, throwing thousands into the dark

Gusting winds buffeting the Pacific Northwest have led to one death in Oregon and downed trees and power lines from the Oregon Coast to Moscow, Idaho Friday afternoon.

The winds struck Spokane just after lunch hour with gusts measured at Spokane International Airport at 44 mph. By 3 p.m., Avista Utilities reported 1,800 customers without power.

Trees were blown onto roadways in rural areas.

Early in the day strong winds knocked out power to more than 100,000 customers stretching from the Willamette Valley down to the California line in Oregon. Portland General Electric reported 30,000 customers were without power at 8 a.m.

Authorities say a 67-year-old Oregon man was killed when he was struck by a tree limb. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office says a neighbor found Ronald Kibert of Tigard under the large limb Friday morning. The neighbors performed CPR until paramedics arrived, but Kibert was pronounced dead at OHSU hospital.

Winds gusts of 60 mph were reported in the Portland area Friday, sending trees into homes, streets and power lines.

As of 2 p.m. several hundred power outages were reported throughout the Spokane region. Most had power restored by evening.

Spokane forecasters had called for peak gusts at 40 mph.

To the west, 405 Inland Power customers had been in the dark in Grant County.