Twin Storms Pummel Pacific Northwest

Rain, Hurricane-Force Winds Pelt Washington, Oregon; Thousands Without Power

(CBS/AP)  A pair of storms delivered a savage one-two blow against Oregon and Washington State beginning on Sunday and continuing today, pelting the coast with rain, 45-foot waves, and wind gusts of more than 100 mph.

As thousands of residents were without power because of trees blown over power lines, the wind and rain continued Monday. Schools were closed.

The world's tallest Sitka spruce, a 1,400-year-old tree which had grown to 200 feet and survived centuries of ocean storms at Kloochy Creek County Park near Seaside, was snapped by the winds.

"It's a sad day," Chantielle Johnston told CBS affiliate KOIN. "We sort of lost a piece of Oregon coast history."

Souvenir hunters collected splinters of the tree.

High winds and waves kept the Dungeness crab fleet along the northern Oregon coast in port.

The National Weather Service issued flood warnings for seven coastal rivers.

At Tillamook, Ore., often hit by floods, Sheriff Todd Anderson said officials evacuated some motel occupants and recreational vehicles from two parks. As of Monday morning, highways to the town of more than 4,000 people were closed.

The Oregon Department of Transportation said highways across and around the Coast Range in northeast Oregon were closed as a result of downed trees, mud and rock slides, and high water.

"If you don't have to go to the coast today, please don't," said spokeswoman Christine Miles of the State Department of Transportation.

At one point, the coastal storm was so bad that Pacific Power recalled crews in Clatsop County, where nearly 23,000 customers were without power throughout the night. When a Bonneville Power Administration transmission line failed, about 12,000 people in Lincoln City were without power.

Pacific Power said its crews had to cut their way into Clatsop County through scores of downed trees blocking Highways 26 and 30. It said 100-foot transmission poles were downed, and large sections of transmission lines were on the ground.

Authorities said Monday could see higher winds and seas.

The storms "are almost twins and on a scale of magnitude of the strongest we may see in a long while," said Dan Kierns of the National Weather Service in Portland.

Forecasters said the second blast could be the strongest Pacific storm they've seen come ashore since 1999, and they issued the region's first warning for hurricane-force wind. The weather is not a hurricane, but the Weather Service has begun using the language to draw more attention to major storms.

Inland, there were heavy snows Sunday in the Cascade Range, but the snowfall was expected to begin melting Monday, raising the possibility of flooding in the Willamette Valley.

The weather service issued a flood warning for Johnson Creek at Sycamore in Oregon, affecting Clackamas and Multnomah counties. It was expected to crest Monday but not fall below flood stage until Tuesday.

A winter storm warning for Eastern Oregon was canceled Sunday but high wind warnings continue for much of the eastern and central parts of the state into Monday night.

The unusual storm, described as the strongest to hit the area in many years, is the product of a combination of moisture from tropical typhoons and cold air coming down from Alaska.

A Foot Of Snow In Washington State

Snow and ice fouled traffic across the Cascade Range and in much of Washington state to the east, but as of daybreak the most hard-hit part of the state was the southwest corner.

The Grays Harbor County Public Utility District reported 33,000 customers without electricity early Monday, and most major roads in Grays Harbor and Pacific counties were closed or blocked, including U.S. Highways 12 and 101.

Two PUD workers trying to restore service were injured, one seriously in a 40-foot fall, when a windblown tree hit a lift truck bucket Sunday night, sheriff's deputy David A. Pimentel said. Both were hospitalized, one with head injuries and the other with back injuries.

Repair crews were pulled off the roads and streets early Monday because of the continuing hazard, PUD officials said.

[grammawhamma]

When I saw the news on TV tonight with all the flooding and high winds in WA I thought of you Michelle. Stay safe!

[michellem99-2009]

Yer would have loved Sat afternoon. It lightly started and I went to the store. It was pretty. It snowed harder and I was truly scared.I could not walk in it. I WAS so trankful a person helped me get home. I hardly ever use the the cell,turnt it off BY err.I told my roommate I couldn''t turn it on. I am legally blind. Thanks He is home and watching the news. When I was younger it was different. The snow was pretty. It gone. Now awful rain and it looks like a mess. I am 53 and he is 55. It is a mess out doors. The visuals they showed on the news is awful. Grateful we are home.

[macblin]

I know it must be scary, I hope you are doing okay. I am a person who loves storms and would probably get myself killed frolicking in them. (Very little rain where I come from.) I was at Cape Foulweather one time and the rain was horizontal. Of course I loved it. Anyway, I hope your friend is okay from his trip out of doors and I am glad your lights are working.

[michellem99-2009]

It is raining bad. My friend had to go out in it. We have lights where we live. He picked up my medication so I would not have to go out in it. I KNOW the earth need it. I hate bad weather.