Blustery afternoon, night expected in Clark County

Another windy evening is expected in the Portland-Vancouver area, with wind gusts up to 45 mph possible near the Columbia Gorge, according to the National Weather Service in Portland.

Sustained winds from the south are predicted to be in the 20 mph to 30 mph range throughout the metro area, with higher gusts.

The winds will start to pick up about 4 p.m. with peak wind from 8 p.m. until 4 a.m. Thursday, according to forecasters. The advisory takes effect at 4 p.m. and will last until 6 a.m. Thursday.

The wind is likely to cause some power outages and downed trees. A similar storm last week created isolated power outages around Clark County, particularly north and east of Battle Ground.

By 6 p.m., the peak gusts in most of the county were in the 20 mph range, according to the National Weather Service: At Pearson Airfield: 22 mph, Orchards: 22 mph, Camas: 23 mph and south of Ridgefield: 27 mph. From 7 a.m., about when the rain started, to 7 p.m., Pearson Airfield recorded 0.56 inches of rain.

The coast, on the other had, was buffeted through the day: Gusts in Cannon Beach and Astoria, Ore., reached speeds of 73 and 54 mph, respectively. Gusts around Long Beach ranged from 44-49 mph.

Clark Public Utilities reminded customers to call 360-992-8000 with outage reports, and avoid downed power lines.