ONTARIO – The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning for Thursday, Feb. 29, that could trigger hazardous driving conditions, downed power lines and power outages in Malheur County.
According to Sophia Adams, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boise, winds could reach 70 mph in higher elevations in Malheur County.
Heading into Thursday afternoon, there could be a potential for snowfall and thunderstorms with possible lightning strikes.
She said the weather service recommends delaying travel, especially as a cold front moves through Thursday afternoon. She said the weather service still expects strong winds up until 11p.m. Thursday.
Adams said the strong gusts of wind could likely blow down trees and power lines and warned people to be ready for power outages.
Malheur County Sheriff Travis Johnson said people need to get prepared.
“It is kind of a nasty storm coming in,” he said. “People should batten things down so they don’t blow away.”
Brad Bowlin, communication specialist with Idaho Power, said people should plan for possible outages and that includes thinking about medical needs. That ranges from medicine that requires refrigeration to a backup for electrically-powered medical equipment.
He said people should have essential items ready such as a flashlight, matches, blanket and a first-aid kit.
Additional items Idaho Power lists on its website include solar-powered chargers, extra batteries and battery-powered clocks.
He said people can go to the Idaho Power website to view an outage map at idahopower.com/outages. The number to report an outage in the Treasure Valley is 208-388-2323.
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