4 dead, including child, when strong winds topple trees onto vehicles in Oregon
An atmospheric river, brought heavy rains and gusty winds to parts of Washington, Oregon and California, knocking out power to well over 100,000 up and down the coast.
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Oregon State Police say four people were killed in two separate crashes during a storm that brought heavy rain and strong winds to the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday.
The first crash occurred on Highway 26 in Clatsop County along the northern Oregon Coast just before noon on Tuesday.
Oregon State Police said the storm caused a large tree to fall onto a truck, killing the three people inside.
According to a news release, the victims were identified as Justin Nolasco Pedraza, 19, Bonifacio Olvera Nolasco, 41, and a 4-year-old girl.
All of the victims were from the beachfront community of Seaside, according to OSP.
During the time of the crash, forecasters say winds were gusting to near 45 mph with a peak storm wind gust of 69 mph in nearby Astoria.
POWERFUL ATMOSPHERIC RIVER SOAKS CALIFORNIA AND THE NORTHWEST, TRIGGERS TIDAL FLOODING IN WASHINGTON
The second crash was reported on Highway 26 in Wasco County in Central Oregon just before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.
State police said a large tree fell onto a commercial vehicle operated by James Darron Lyda, 53, of Prineville.
When the tree fell onto the vehicle, state police said it caused Lyda to lose control, and he crashed off the highway.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to OSP.
Atmospheric river brings heavy rain, strong winds, flooding to Northwest
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Image 1 of 8Streets sat under 1 to 2 feet of water in Edmonds, Washington. (Edmonds Police Department)
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Image 2 of 8First responders donned wet suits in West Pierce, Washington. (West Pierce Fire & Rescue)
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Image 3 of 8King tides swallowed whole neighborhoods. (West Pierce Fire & Rescue)
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Image 4 of 8Firefighters went door to door checking on residents near Puget Sound. (West Pierce Fire & Rescue)
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Image 7 of 8First responders were called out for flood rescue in Gig Harbor, Washington. (Gig Harbor Fire)
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Image 8 of 8Gig Harbor, Washington crews wade through flooding from heavy rain and king tides. (Gig Harbor Fire)
An atmospheric river, brought heavy rains and gusty winds to parts of Washington, Oregon and California.
On top of the storm, very high tides, called king tides, combined with the strong winds and very low atmospheric pressure to flood some low-lying coastal areas.
More than 130,000 customers lost power in Oregon during the peak of the storm, and more than 30,000 were without power in California and Washington at various points of the storm, according to PowerOutage.US.
Wind gusts topped 70-80 mph along the coastal headlands and mountain tops, while Seattle reached a gust of 55 mph.