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Wind gusts as high as 70 mph down trees, knock out power to thousands of people

Theresa Elisoff examines the damage to her vehicles parked in front of her house after a dead tree in Grant Park fell across the 1700 block of 9th Avenue around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec 18, 2024. “I was on the phone with my husband and was telling him that I worried about trees falling in the wind storm, “said Elisoff. “About 15 seconds after I said that, I heard a loud crash.” The ponderosa pine struck and damaged her new Ford Ranger pickup truck. The tree also took down power lines, which Avista worked to restore power in the afternoon. (COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
Theresa Elisoff examines the damage to her vehicles parked in front of her house after a dead tree in Grant Park fell across the 1700 block of 9th Avenue around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec 18, 2024. “I was on the phone with my husband and was telling him that I worried about trees falling in the wind storm, “said Elisoff. “About 15 seconds after I said that, I heard a loud crash.” The ponderosa pine struck and damaged her new Ford Ranger pickup truck. The tree also took down power lines, which Avista worked to restore power in the afternoon. (COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
By Garrett Cabeza garrettc@spokesman.com(509) 459-5135

Strong wind gusts, including almost 70 mph at the Spokane International Airport, downed trees and knocked out power to several thousand residents Wednesday morning.

Two people were killed after a tree fell on U.S. Highway 2, striking a box truck near the airport exit in Spokane.

Downed trees and power loss from severe winds forced the Manito Park Holiday Lights show to cancel Wednesday night, according to Spokane Parks and Recreation.

Two large trees uprooted and fell on Nevada Street at North Avenue in north Spokane. No injuries were reported, Spokane Police Officer Daniel Strassenberg said.

A tractor operator pushed the trees to the side of the road before they were removed. The trees knocked down the North Avenue street sign.

Strassenberg said police dealt with roughly 30 tree-down complaints Wednesday morning across the city.

Meanwhile, 5,890 Avista Utilities customers were without power shortly before 1 p.m. Crews were able to shrink that number to 761 customers by 6 p.m.

Inland Power & Light Co. reported 1,092 Spokane County customers, 464 Whitman County customers, 345 Stevens County customers and 320 Bonner County customers without power. Nearly every Inland Power customer was back in service by Wednesday night, with a combined seven customers without power in Bonner, Lincoln, Whitman and Stevens counties. About 115 Spokane County customers were waiting for power restoration.

The National Weather Service in Spokane issued a wind advisory until 3 p.m. Wednesday for Eastern Washington and North Idaho, with winds of 20 to 30 mph and gusts up to 45 mph.

Wind gusts reached 68 mph at the Spokane International Airport, 56 mph in Post Falls and about 50 at the Coeur d’Alene Airport, according to Ken Daniel, meteorologist at the weather service.

Gusts reached 71 mph at Fourth of July Pass and 60 mph in Pullman, according to Steve Bodnar, meteorologist at the weather service. 

Bodnar said wind gusts tapered Wednesday afternoon and evening, with wind gusts at 15 to 25 mph in the region at about 6:30 p.m. Bodnar and Daniel expected dry weather until Saturday, when showers could return to the Spokane area.

A high of 50 degrees was recorded Wednesday afternoon at the Spokane International Airport, Bodnar said. The record high was 57 degrees set in 1917.