Heavy, potentially damaging winds expected on Sunday

Eastern Washington residents should include storm preparations in their weekend plans.

Strong winds are expected to sweep through the region starting on Sunday, carrying the potential to bring down trees and cause power outages in and around Spokane.

The most intense period is expected to be Sunday between 5 p.m. and midnight , when gusts will reach between 45 and 50 mph, according to the National Weather Service office in Spokane.

Areas south and west of Spokane could see gusts that exceed 50 mph.

Although the winds this weekend could cause damage, forecasters believe the storm will fall short of the gusts experienced during the January windstorm that knocked power out to about 100,000 homes and businesses in the Inland Northwest.

That storm, which knocked down hundreds of trees and resulted in the death of a Spokane woman, saw a gust of 71 mph at Spokane International Airport. That nearly matched the 77 mph strength of the highest recorded winds during the devastating 2015 windstorm.

“Right now, we do not see the strong gradients that we saw with those windstorms,” forecaster Laurie Nisbet said during a briefing on Friday.

Still, the National Weather Service warned Sunday evening’s winds could bring down trees and power lines. Even gusts between 40 and 50 mph have the potential to cause scattered power outages.

South and west of Spokane, farmers have been working their fields to prepare for the upcoming growing season. That means the heavy wind could kick up dust and reduce visibility on area roadways, including Interstate 90 from George to Ritzville and Route 395 between Ritzville and the Tri-Cities.

People can prepare for the storm by securing loose objects in their yards.

Prior to the winds’ arrival, high temperatures are expected to get progressively warmer, reaching the high 50s on Saturday and about 60 degrees on Sunday.