A significant windstorm could hit Oregon on Christmas Eve morning.
The Oregon Department of Emergency Management is warning about possible widespread power outages.
At the Coast, wind gusts could reach 50 to 70 miles and hour, and inland the gusts could hit 45 to 58 miles an hour.
Along the I-5 corridor, the winds could last up to six hours, but strong winds would likely only occur for one or two hours.
The National Weather Service says they'll have a better idea on the strength of the storm as it approaches.
Portland General Electric (PGE) is urging customers to prepare for potential power outages as a potential significant windstorm approaches the region this Wednesday, Christmas Eve. Unlike last week's weather event, meteorologists are tracking a stronger storm system that could bring sustained winds of 20-45 mph with gusts reaching 45-65 mph throughout PGE's entire service area.
The forecasted windstorm, part of a larger weather system affecting the entire West Coast from California to Washington, is expected to arrive Wednesday morning and continue through mid-afternoon, potentially creating hazardous conditions. With the holidays well underway, PGE is taking proactive measures now to prepare including crew staffing and staging materials at line operation centers to address outages quickly.
PGE meteorologists are actively monitoring the developing weather system.
Things customers can do now to prepare:
- Prepare an outage kit that includes:
- Flashlight or headlamps
- Battery-powered or hand crank radio and alarm clock or watch
- Car charger for your cell phone, laptop or tablet
- 72-hour supply of ready-to-eat food and water
- Any required medications
- Extra blankets
- Bottled water for people and animals
- Be familiar with safe cooking, heating and lighting practices. Information on safe generator use and other safety tips are available on portlandgeneral.com/safety.
- For more winter-ready tips, visit portlandgeneral.com/beprepared.
Important downed power line safety information:
- If you see a downed power line:
- Never touch a downed power line – or anything else the line is touching.
- Always assume powerlines are live and stay at least 50 feet away (that’s a little longer than a city bus).
- You should always assume downed power lines are electrified and extremely dangerous, they don’t have to spark or sizzle to be live.
- If you see downed power lines, call 911, then report it to PGE at 503-464-7777.
- Be sure to check out our downed power line safety video.
- Always operate your portable gas generator outside. Place it in a well-ventilated area way from doors, windows and your garage. Otherwise, deadly odorless carbon monoxide can be drawn into your house and poison your family.
- Don’t get shocked! Use only an outdoor-rated, grounded extension cord; one with a GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter) is best.
- Never “back feed.” Don’t try to power the house by using a doctored extension cord to plug a generator into a household outlet. This is extremely dangerous! It can not only ruin your home’s wiring and start a fire, it can also accidentally energize a power line our crew thinks is safe to work on. An unsuspecting PGE line worker could be seriously injured or killed. Only connect individual appliances to the receptacle outlet of the generator.
- Avoid burns. Generators can get very hot during operation. Use extreme caution to avoid burns and let the engine cool before you refuel.
- Keep children and pets away from generators at all times.
- Don’t overload your generator. Follow the wattage guidelines in your owner’s manual.
For customers who experience a power outage, PGE offers several ways to get updates or report an outage:
- Text updates: Please make sure PGE has your contact information up to date so we can provide you with outage information via text message (outage texts are currently available for residential and small business customers with fewer than six accounts).
- Online: Go to portlandgeneral.com/outage to view PGE’s outage map, which is the best place to go for real-time outage information.
- App: Download the PGE app at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Links also available at portlandgeneral.com/app.
- Phone: Call 503-464-7777 or 800-544-1795 to report a power outage or downed line through our automated system. Customers can also request a call back when power is restored.
