National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Dangerous Cold and Gusty Winds Anticipated This Weekend

A significant arctic outbreak will bring frigid temperatures and dangerously cold wind chills to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic this weekend. Strong winds which could produce tree damage and power outages, and periods of snow squalls are also possible. Relief from this cold and a warming trend is forecast to commence by the beginning to middle of next week. Read More >

Strong winds were reported in the Coeur d'Alene, Spokane and Davenport areas. In Coeur d'Alene, the winds split a 120 foot Ponderosa pine tree which landed on a home and caused major damage. The winds also uprooted a tree which fell onto a car in Hayden. Kootenai Electric Cooperative had 1,000 customers without power during the wind storm. During the peak of the winds, Coeur D'Alene AWOS reported sustained west winds of 35 miles per hour gusting to 49 miles per hour. Property damage from this event is estimated to be $45,000. Avista Utilities reported at least 1,200 customers without power across northeast Washington. The strongest wind gust of the storm was reported at Fairchild Air Force Base where the peak wind speed was 54 miles per hour.