Wild windstorm knocks out power, closes roads, and cancels school throughout Clark County

Many school districts called off school Wednesday due to power outages and/or local road closures, and cities throughout Clark County were working on cleaning the debris, while Clark Public Utilities was working to restore power to tens of thousands of customers

Paul Valencia
Clark County Today

There were times in east Vancouver on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning that the neighborhood sounded like the set of a movie — a scary movie. 

From reports, those sounds echoed throughout Clark County.

Winds did not whistle through the region this morning. They howled. 

Tree limbs could be heard throughout the night and into the morning hours, snapping. 

In many cases, it was not the limbs that came falling down, but the entire tree.

It was such an extreme wind storm that by morning, most of the schools in the region shut down. Power was out and/or roads were blocked by trees.

Schools in Battle Ground, Camas, Evergreen, Hockinson, La Center, Vancouver, and Washougal districts were closed Wednesday. In Ridgefield, all schools were on a late start and one was cancelled because power had not yet been restored.

As of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Clark Public Utilities had reported that more than 27,000 customers were still without power, and more than 76,000 customers had recently had their power restored.

Gusts were expected to be as high as 60 mph in the storm. In the mountains, those gusts were much higher. At Coldwater Ridge near Mount St. Helens, a gust was recorded at 138 mph, according to AccuWeather.

While the winds have calmed, forecasters are calling for breezy and wet conditions over the next few days. There is “flood potential” for all areas of Southwest Washington, according to the National Weather Service. Flooding could happen in poor drainage, urban, and flood-prone areas.

Tonight, the county should expect some rain. By Thursday, though, another strong burst of precipitation is expected, with up to 2 inches of rain during the day, as many as 3 inches by Thursday night and into Friday morning.

The city of Battle Ground posted a picture of a downed tree on a power line on SW 20th Ave. between Scotton and Eaton. The city asked travelers to use caution on roadways.

In Vancouver, the city reported several street closures on Wednesday morning, including:
• NE 112th Ave. and NENine Street.
• 132nd Ave. and 39th Street.
• Bella Vista Road and Cascade Park Drive
• Saint Helens Ave. and SE 100th Street.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office also posted on social media.

“Our deputies are out in full force working to keep our community safe, and utility and road crews are working around the clock to clear hazards and restore services,” the post read. “Please give crews extra patience and plenty of distance while they work. 

“Be safe out there, and treat all downed power lines as if they are live.”

The city of Camas also reported three road closures:

• Lake Road, from Lacamas Lodge to the roundabout.
• A portion of SE Crown Road, between 3rd Ave. and SE Strong Ave.
• NE Leadbetter between N Adams St and NE 9th St.