Clark Public Utilities responded to more than 40 outages during holiday storm

As Clark County thaws out from the ice storm that knocked out power to some 10,000 households this weekend, the area is again under a wind advisory, effective most of Tuesday.

The National Weather Service predicts the rain will stick around throughout the week. Meteorologist Clinton Rockey said the downpour that, combined with melted ice, flooded some urban streets Monday afternoon should continue early Tuesday. In the afternoon, Rockey said it should taper off into lighter showers.

The wind is also expected to pick up again, with gusts of 45 to 50 mph forecast in Clark County throughout Tuesday, Rockey said. He encouraged people to be prepared for more scattered power outages by readying flashlights and charging cellphones.

The temperatures will remain mild, with highs of 46 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday. That means there should be no more ice or snow below 7,000 feet, Rockey said. The winds are the last weather event on the models through the end of 2022.

“The rest of the week looks rather quiet, finally. Maybe we’ll sneak into the end of the year on a quiet note,” Rockey said. “But at this point in time, another day or two of rather active weather.”

Clark Public Utilities spokesman Dameon Pesanti said Saturday was busy for crews as they responded to trees on power lines and a problem at the Ellsworth substation.

A tree on a line in Camas cut power to about 1,055 customers, followed by another tree that took out power to 1,544 customers, Pesanti said. After crews restored power to the second outage, it went down again for some time. The problem at the substation affected 4,500 customers.

Utility crews responded to 46 outages Friday impacting about 5,500 customers, Pesanti said.

The utility is also preparing for Tuesday’s forecasted winds. People can report an outage by calling 360-992-8000 or at clarkpublicutilities.com.