Severe Winds Strike Water-Logged Northwest, Leaving 500,000 Without Power

High winds have wreaked havoc across parts of Washington state and Idaho this week, resulting in the tragic death of one adult and critically injuring two children. The severe weather has also left thousands without power, compounding the damage already inflicted by heavy rains and flooding.

Wind gusts reaching up to 85 miles per hour battered Pullman, Washington, as well as the Idaho cities of Moscow and Lewiston. According to Poweroutage.us, over half a million power customers were affected across Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Oregon. In Colorado, the largest utility company preemptively cut power to approximately 50,000 homes and businesses to prevent downed power lines from igniting wildfires.

In a heartbreaking incident, a 55-year-old man lost his life when a tree fell on his home in the northern Idaho town of Fernan. The Kootenai County Sheriff’s office reported that the tree struck the bed where the man was sleeping, while others inside the home managed to escape without serious injuries.

In southern Idaho, the Twin Falls County Sheriff’s office reported that high winds caused several old, internally rotten trees to collapse, resulting in critically injuring two children under the age of 10. The children were waiting for the school bus when the tree fell on them. An older sibling at the bus stop was unharmed. Despite the worsening wind conditions, an air ambulance successfully landed at the scene, transporting one child to a nearby hospital while the other was taken by ground ambulance.

Residents in western Washington, many already grappling with flooding, reported blown transformers, downed trees, and damaged roofs on social media early Wednesday morning. Winds were anticipated to gust up to 90 mph (145 kph) along Colorado’s warm and dry Front Range, the area just east of the mountains where most of the state’s population resides. Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy cut power to the region to mitigate wildfire risks, promising to restore power as quickly as possible once winds subside.

A series of storms originating from weather systems across the Pacific have dumped nearly 2 feet of rain in parts of the Cascade Mountains, causing rivers to overflow their banks and prompting over 600 rescues across 10 counties.

As of Tuesday, there had been only one flood-related death—a man who drove past warning signs into a flooded area. However, key highways were buried or washed out, entire communities were inundated, and saturated levees had failed. Officials indicated it could take months before State Route 2, which connects western Washington cities with the Stevens Pass ski area and the Bavarian-themed tourist town of Leavenworth, can be reopened.

“We’re in for the long haul,” said Ferguson at a news conference. “If you get an evacuation order, for God’s sakes, follow it.”

Full damage assessments will only be possible after waters recede and the risk of landslides diminishes. The state and some counties are allocating several million dollars to assist residents with hotel stays, groceries, and other essentials, pending more extensive federal aid that Ferguson and Washington’s congressional delegation anticipate will be approved.

According to the governor’s office, first responders have conducted at least 629 rescues and 572 assisted evacuations. At times, as many as 100,000 people were under evacuation orders, particularly in the floodplain of the Skagit River north of Seattle.

Elevated river levels and flood risks may persist until at least late this month, as warned by the National Weather Service.

Associated Press writers Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, Colleen Slevin in Denver, and Martha Bellisle in Seattle contributed to this report.

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

High winds have wreaked havoc across parts of Washington state and Idaho this week, resulting in the tragic death of one adult and critically injuring two children. The severe weather has also left thousands without power, compounding the damage already inflicted by heavy rains and flooding.

Wind gusts reaching up to 85 miles per hour battered Pullman, Washington, as well as the Idaho cities of Moscow and Lewiston. According to Poweroutage.us, over half a million power customers were affected across Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Oregon. In Colorado, the largest utility company preemptively cut power to approximately 50,000 homes and businesses to prevent downed power lines from igniting wildfires.

In a heartbreaking incident, a 55-year-old man lost his life when a tree fell on his home in the northern Idaho town of Fernan. The Kootenai County Sheriff’s office reported that the tree struck the bed where the man was sleeping, while others inside the home managed to escape without serious injuries.

In southern Idaho, the Twin Falls County Sheriff’s office reported that high winds caused several old, internally rotten trees to collapse, resulting in critically injuring two children under the age of 10. The children were waiting for the school bus when the tree fell on them. An older sibling at the bus stop was unharmed. Despite the worsening wind conditions, an air ambulance successfully landed at the scene, transporting one child to a nearby hospital while the other was taken by ground ambulance.

Residents in western Washington, many already grappling with flooding, reported blown transformers, downed trees, and damaged roofs on social media early Wednesday morning. Winds were anticipated to gust up to 90 mph (145 kph) along Colorado’s warm and dry Front Range, the area just east of the mountains where most of the state’s population resides. Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy cut power to the region to mitigate wildfire risks, promising to restore power as quickly as possible once winds subside.

A series of storms originating from weather systems across the Pacific have dumped nearly 2 feet of rain in parts of the Cascade Mountains, causing rivers to overflow their banks and prompting over 600 rescues across 10 counties.

As of Tuesday, there had been only one flood-related death—a man who drove past warning signs into a flooded area. However, key highways were buried or washed out, entire communities were inundated, and saturated levees had failed. Officials indicated it could take months before State Route 2, which connects western Washington cities with the Stevens Pass ski area and the Bavarian-themed tourist town of Leavenworth, can be reopened.

“We’re in for the long haul,” said Ferguson at a news conference. “If you get an evacuation order, for God’s sakes, follow it.”

Full damage assessments will only be possible after waters recede and the risk of landslides diminishes. The state and some counties are allocating several million dollars to assist residents with hotel stays, groceries, and other essentials, pending more extensive federal aid that Ferguson and Washington’s congressional delegation anticipate will be approved.

According to the governor’s office, first responders have conducted at least 629 rescues and 572 assisted evacuations. At times, as many as 100,000 people were under evacuation orders, particularly in the floodplain of the Skagit River north of Seattle.

Elevated river levels and flood risks may persist until at least late this month, as warned by the National Weather Service.

Associated Press writers Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, Colleen Slevin in Denver, and Martha Bellisle in Seattle contributed to this report.

Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.