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More than 60,000 customers in the Portland metro area were still without power Tuesday morning after high winds downed trees and power lines.
As many as 100,000 Portland General Electric customers lost power across the state early on Sept. 8, according to a 10:20 am update from the utility, with the majority in Clackamas County.
On Monday, the prevalence of "east winds"—which normally occur in the winter months—combined with hot, dry conditions prompted the National Weather Service to issue a rare critical fire weather warning for Northwest Oregon and Southwest Oregon.
Related: A Rare Wind Event Has Northwest Oregon Under a Critical Fire Warning.
The winds arrived in midafternoon Labor Day, blowing smoke from forest fires into Portland. An air quality warning issued by the Department of Environmental Quality remains in effect.
The threat of wildfire also prompted PGE to shut off power to Mount Hood-area customers and forced mandatory evacuations for parts of Marion County, including Mill City, Gates and Detroit.
The power outages presented new problems for schools that are relying on Zoom and other virtual meetings, with the Oregon City School District canceling the first day of online classes.
"OCSD schools are closed today due to internet and power outages," the school district announced on its Facebook page, with the message "Try again."
School will instead resume tomorrow.
