Pedestrians get battered crossing Pine Street on 1st Ave. in downtown Seattle by gusting winds coming off the water Friday, Oct. 14, 2016. (Steve Ringman /The Seattle Times via AP)
October 15, 2016 - 6:13 PM
PORTLAND, Ore. - The Latest on a powerful windstorm in the Northwest (all times local):
6:10 p.m.
A windstorm bearing remnants of a Pacific typhoon is reaching the Seattle area after leaving a swath of downed trees and powerlines in Oregon and southwest Washington.
The National Weather Service said gusts around Seattle would probably top out at about 50 mph, weaker than initially feared, but still strong enough to do some damage. The Washington Department of Transportation said trees came down on Interstate 5 near Olympia, blocking the right lane.
Officials said several falling trees hit houses or several, and tens of thousands of people lost power. Police in Tigard, Oregon, said a driver and passenger escaped with minor injuries when a tree crushed their moving car.
The storm was expected to dissipate by late Saturday night.
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3:20 p.m.
Trees and power lines are coming down as a powerful storm hits the Northwest.
Thousands of people were without power in Oregon and Washington on Saturday as the storm, bearing remnants of a Pacific typhoon, made landfall. The National Weather Service said winds were gusting above 50 mph in the Portland area and that the strongest winds would hit Seattle from about 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Tualatin (too-uh-LAY'-tin) Valley Fire and Rescue posted a photograph of a tree that crushed the new car and part of the home of a family in North Plains, Oregon, near Portland. The Washington Department of Transportation said trees came down on Interstate 5 near Olympia, blocking the right lane.
No injuries had immediately been reported Saturday.
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2:35 p.m.
A Native American tribe on the coast of Washington state says a sea wall that separates its main village from the Pacific Ocean is holding amid a powerful storm.
The Quinault Indian Nation community of Taholah is home to about 1,000 people. The tribe says it was very concerned that Saturday's storm, formed from the remnants of a Pacific typhoon, would bring a storm swell that would breach the sea wall.
Forecasters now say that wind gusts are expected to top out in the area at about 75 mph, with 30-foot seas, both of which are less than initially feared by the tribe.
The ocean has breached the sea wall twice in recent years, bringing extensive flooding. The tribe is working to relocate the village to higher ground due to the rising sea-level from global warming and the risk of a tsunami.
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11:10 a.m.
A powerful storm developing from the remnants of a Pacific typhoon is gathering intensity off the Northwest coast.
The National Weather Service is warning about widespread damage when the storm reaches land Saturday afternoon and evening. Meteorologist Tyree Wilde says gusts along the central Oregon coast are already reaching 63 mph, and they could hit upward of 80 mph Saturday afternoon.
Inland, the winds are forecast to be weaker at 50 to 60 mph, but still strong enough to knock down trees and cut power to thousands. Wilde says the damage will be exacerbated because many trees still have their leaves, and thus catch more wind and are more likely to topple.
The storm is moving north and expected to rake Washington later Saturday. It follows a separate storm that brought a tornado to Manzanita, Oregon, Friday.
News from © The Associated Press, 2016