Salem, OR – On Monday evening, more than 3,400 homes and businesses in south Salem were left without power as a powerful storm system, featuring high winds, rain, and thunder, swept across the Willamette Valley.
The largest outage was reported in Salem’s South Gateway area, where Portland General Electric (PGE) confirmed that 3,463 customers lost power starting at 7:44 p.m. Additionally, a smaller outage was reported along South River Road, affecting 94 customers. The utility did not provide an estimated restoration time for either outage as of 8:50 p.m., and both were attributed to the high winds associated with the storm.
Earlier in the day, the National Weather Service’s Portland office issued a tornado warning for the Silverton area, which was in effect briefly until 6 p.m. The agency also issued a wind advisory for much of the Willamette Valley, including Salem, warning that gusts up to 50 miles per hour and sustained winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour were possible. The advisory remained in effect until 4 a.m. Tuesday.
The service cautioned that rain showers in the area could trigger locally gusty outflow winds reaching speeds of up to 55 mph. Combined with saturated soil from previous rainfall, the storm posed an increased risk of tree damage, which could lead to further power outages and potential structural damage.
Salem Electric also reported several outages in West Salem around 5 p.m. Monday. Most power had been restored by 6:10 p.m., although a small number of homes and businesses remained without power. Salem Electric estimated that it would take two to four hours to fully restore service to the remaining affected customers.
As of the evening, local authorities continued to monitor the storm’s impact, urging residents to stay alert as the storm moved through the region.
