National Weather Service gives 20% chance of 70 mph winds in western Oregon, Washington for Christmas Eve

Forecasters are tracking a windstorm coming up from California that has a 20% chance of generating 70 miles per hour winds on Christmas Eve, a possibility that could create havoc from uprooted trees and downed power lines just in time for holiday travel.

But the storm has two possible routes, and it now appears most likely that it will move east, hit the Cascade Mountains and be slightly less gusty, National Weather Service meteorologist Hannah Chandler-Cooley said Tuesday afternoon.

“We’re forecasting peak gusts anywhere from 35 to 50 mph,” said Chandler-Cooley.

“We could see some isolated power outages due to downed trees and tree limbs,” she said. “Any outdoor decorations could be blown around, and there could be some travel issues as well.”

Winds of 50 mph can push vehicles around, especially trucks and larger SUVs with cargo on the top.

The second possible route for the storm would be to run along the coast.

That route would bring gusting winds of up to 70 mph across most of western Oregon and Washington, Chandler-Cooley said.

Chandler-Cooley says the storm has a similar structure to the Columbus Day storm that hit the Pacific Northwest in 1962. It killed 46 people, injured hundreds and caused massive power and telephone outages. Onlookers said trees were thrown around like toothpicks.

“We are not expecting this to be nearly as bad as the Columbus Day storm,” she said. “That one was a much stronger low-pressure system.”

The windstorm is expected to hit Wednesday morning and run through the afternoon, a time when many people are traveling to be with loved ones for Christmas Eve.

Josiah Vick is an arborist with PDX Tree Service and has a brother who is driving from Bremerton to Portland with his family on Christmas Eve.

“I worry about them,” he said. “But my brother is an experienced driver.”

The storm is expected to be over by sunset on Wednesday.

“We all do the basic things to keep safe on the road like driving during the daytime, keeping a half tank of fuel in the gas tank and being aware of standing water on the road.”

As an arborist, Vick says the recent string of rainstorms could be a problem for trees.

“When soils are saturated, like they are right now, trees don’t usually fail just because of wind alone,” he said. “It’s a combination of wind and weakened root support that creates the risk.”

He says trees fed by a gutter off the roof or those that sit in a depression in the ground are more likely to get lots of water and therefore have shallower roots.

“Those ones seem to be the ones that are most susceptible to wind throw or bad conditions.”

Vick is expecting a busy next few weeks, even if the storm only brings winds of 40 mph. “Normally, the [calls] that we respond to first are trees that are down on a structure and they’re blocking access,” he said.

“If there is a problem where the tree is on a power line, the best thing to do is call PGE, not call your local arborist. We can’t do anything at that point.”

If there’s a downed power line on a car, authorities recommend calling 911 rather than getting out of the vehicle.

Oregon Department of Transportation said maintenance crews are preparing while still recovering from the recent storms. For safety reasons, crews do not clear fallen trees while winds are still high. Cleanup starts once conditions improve.

ODOT said its crews will be working day and night through the holiday. Travelers are asked to give them space and patience as they work to keep roads open and ensure people can reach their holiday destinations safely.