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Nasty start to spring
Mar 21, 2013 (Lewiston Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
The first day of spring roared in like a lion, with high winds and heavy rains throughout the region.
Wind gusts of up to 50 mph toppled trees and power lines from Pullman to Weippe, leaving hundreds without power. Gusts of 52 mph were measured in Lewiston and 44 mph in Pullman, said Missoula, Mont.-based National Weather Service meteorologist Trent Smith.
"These were really strong winds associated with a vigorous cold front moving through the area," he said. "The winds died down pretty quickly after the passage of the front."
Avista crews were kept busy responding to power outages throughout the region, said spokeswoman Colette Bottinelli.
"We have three crews working in the area, and they'll keep working until we have everything back on," she said.
Approximately 241 customers from Bovill to Elk River were without power from around 2:30 to 7 p.m. Two outages near Troy and Deary affected fewer than five customers each.
Approximately 693 utility customers in the Pierce-Weippe area lost power around 2:30 p.m. The cause was under investigation Wednesday night, according to Avista. Power was restored by 7 p.m.
The Orofino area also was the site of several power outages. Approximately 96 customers along U.S. Highway 12 southeast of town were without power from around 4 to 7 p.m. The cause listed by Avista was weather. A weather-related outage around Johnson Avenue also affected fewer than five customers.
According to the Clearwater County Sheriff's Office, at least two trees blew over in the county during the storm.
Lightning splintered a pine tree on the 400 block of West Walnut Street in Genesee, and the falling branches crushed a Toyota station wagon parked underneath it. No one was injured. In addition, four different weather-related outages affected approximately 15 people in Genesee around 2:30 p.m. Power was restored about 7:20 p.m.
In Clarkston, two weather-related outages affected fewer than five customers each around 2 p.m., according to Avista. Power was restored by 3 p.m.
Cable One responded to a downed cable line about 3 p.m. on the 800 block of Frost Lane in Clarkston. The Asotin County Sheriff's Office also received a call about a trampoline in the middle of the roadway on the 900 block of 22nd Avenue.
No outages were reported in Lewiston, but Lewiston police received a call that a tree branch was about to blow off a tree and hit either power lines or a vehicle on Sixth Street. Avista responded and removed the branch.
Gaboury may be contacted at kgaboury@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2275. Follow him on Twitter @KevinGaboury.
___ (c)2013 the Lewiston Tribune (Lewiston, Idaho) Visit the Lewiston Tribune
(Lewiston, Idaho) at www.lmtribune.com Distributed by MCT Information Services
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