Strong winds expected today

Strong winds are forecasted to begin this morning and continue through the day. The storm will bring the possibility of outages across Avista’s Washington and Idaho service area from falling tree limbs or trees, causing downed power lines. Avista is prepared to respond and is urging customers to prepare for potential storm damages and outages.

At this time, Avista crews are ready with fueled and stocked fleet vehicles, warehouse supplies are in place in Spokane and outer offices, assessment teams are standing by along with wire guard teams to help ensure public safety near downed power lines, tree crews are prepared, and employees are moving from their typical day-to-day responsibilities to assist in storm-related activities.

"With sustained winds expected throughout the day and into the evening, estimated restoration times are not likely to be available until the storm has passed and Avista is able to complete assessments, which may take 24 hours or more, depending on the extent of the damage," a press release said.

Customers can expect to see current outage numbers on the outage map at myavista.com/outage while the estimated restoration time will note that outages are under assessment. As assessments are complete and more information is known, estimated restoration times will be updated on the outage map.

Customers who experience a power outage are encouraged to report it online or through their mobile device at www.myavista.com/outage or by calling (800) 227-9187.