Five people were killed in three separate crashes Tuesday as trees fell onto Highway 26 and Interstate 84 in heavy winds from a storm that also knocked out power for more than 100,000 across Oregon and Southwest Washington.
Police say just after 11:30 a.m. a large tree fell directly onto the roof of an eastbound pickup on U.S. 26 truck near the town of Elsie, in Clatsop County. The driver and two passengers were found dead at the scene. They were Justin Nolasco Pedraza, 19, and Bonifacio Olvera Nolasco, 41, of Seaside, and a 4-year-old female.
Two and a half hours later, on Interstate 84 in Multnomah County, a tree fell and struck the passenger’s side an eastbound Dodge Ram pickup near milepost 40. The passenger, 20-year-old Paula Chamu Sanchez of Baker City, died from the impact of the tree. The driver was transported to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center for injuries.
Later that afternoon, on the east side of Mount Hood, a tree fell onto the cab of an eastbound semi on U.S. 26 near Clear Lake in Wasco County. The truck veered off the highway and the driver was killed. James Darron Lyda, 53, of Prineville, was pronounced dead at the scene.
At each location, the road was closed for several hours as police, fire and traffic officials investigated.
The aftereffects of Tuesday’s high winds continued to be felt across much of Oregon and Southwest Washington Wednesday morning.
More than 60,000 homes and businesses across Oregon were without electricity as of 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, including nearly 38,000 Portland General Electric customers, and nearly 8,000 with Pacific Power. In Southwest Washington, Clark Public Utility District said 1,400 customers were in the dark.
In Pacific County, the PUD reported Tuesday night on its Facebook page that power had been restored to the majority of the Long Beach Peninsula and South Bend.
Tuesday’s storm also brought heavy rains to the region that led to some flood watches while creating giant waves along the coastline.
According to the National Weather Service, more rain is on the way late Wednesday night as another weather front rolls into the region. Some strong winds may return but primarily along the coast.
“The farther south you go in Oregon, the more rain you’ll have, but even down in southwest Oregon, it’s not gonna be anything problematic,” said Andy Bryant of the National Weather Service.
Bryant also says snow will return to the Cascades, including mountain passes. But this time around it shouldn’t cause any widespread traffic impacts, he said.
The freezing level will drop down toward 2,500 feet, meaning rain in the mountains will turn to snow. For much of Western Oregon, the next few days will see high temperatures in the high 40s or even the mid 50s.