SPOKANE, WA — Avista crews are continuing assessment and restoration efforts across the Inland Northwest after a powerful windstorm caused widespread power outages early Wednesday morning.
As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, approximately 71,600 Avista electric customers were without power across the region, with more than 916 separate outage incidents reported. Avista said wind speeds during the storm rivaled those recorded during the historic January 2021 windstorm.
Outages began around 5 a.m. as strong winds combined with saturated ground conditions, toppling trees into power lines and equipment. Avista reported extensive damage to both transmission and distribution systems due to fallen trees and debris…