Bit of a night we are having...

[MissB]

High winds, nearly 100k without power in the Portland metro area and the air is unhealthy for all populations to breathe.

It was weird to sit in the backyard this evening just before 5 pm and seeing the sudden shift from calm (if not eerie light) to winds whistling through the tall trees around our property (kinda felt like The Happening!) It only took about 15 minutes after the wind started for the air to become noticeably dirty- burning the back of my throat.

Our power has flickered off a couple of times but nothing has fallen down that we can tell. Won’t be going outside much tomorrow until the air clears out. The wind is still periodically kicking up.

This was the first time that PGE shut off power to communities near Mt. Hood preemptively. Too much risk of fires. If you know Oregon, there is apparently a fire in Opal Creek.

Update just before 5 am:
Utility company is right across from my house. I saw the glow of something popping last night as the power went out so it was likely the box right in front of our house. Good to know they’re working hard to restore power! Seems quiet out there, other than the crew working.

[brer cat]

1. I hope you stay safe, MissB.

[CanonRay]

2. Down in Florence

temp went up 20 degrees in a half hour, totally smokey

[LizBeth]

12. Really? I was planning going there tomorrow cause temp is generally like 15 or 20 lower than in

Eugene and gonna hit almost 100 tomorrow.

[CanonRay]

18. Yes, its 79 and smokey now

In the 80s tomorrow. Weird.

[CanonRay]

20. It will be better than Eugene

but not great

[LizBeth]

23. Ya, I have air here, not there. And you say smokey, that is a bummer. I was hoping ocean wind

would blow it away.

[MissB]

19. That's wild

If it weren’t for the smoke it’d probably be okay.

[MissB]

3. I think we just lost power

Maybe. We are at the end of a line. Just saw the flash of a transformer blowing.

[Nevilledog]

4. Yikes... sounds awful.

And "The Happening" was a creepy movie, so I get the atmosphere.

Stay safe and charge your electronics!

[MissB]

7. I charged up the portable chargers this morning

So we are good from that standpoint.

Definitely have no power now. Luckily it’s cooled off so I won’t miss the air conditioning tonight!

[Nevilledog]

16. I hope you wake up with your power back on.

[BadGimp]

5. I left my place in Portland Sunday AM and drove to N Cal.

Not scheduled to drive back till Wednesday AM.

I hope I will dodge this bullet twice...

[BadGimp]

6. I left my place in Portland Sunday AM and drove to N Cal.

Not scheduled to drive back till Wednesday AM.

I hope I will dodge this bullet twice...

[Grasswire2]

8. There's a big fire happening right now in the strip mall OC shopping center on 99E.

Multiple units. Huge fire.

Behind the Ross store area.

[MissB]

11. Yikes!

That’s bad! Ugh it’ll be a bad night for many folks.

[MissB]

24. I'm seeing the pictures of that on twitter

That looks like a huge conflagration.

[Grasswire2]

26. agree

I'm told there is an apartment complex back there. Also the backwater of the river, and some homeless camps.

[lunasun]

9. Stay safe sounds sort of eerie

[LizBeth]

10. The smoke came in about 7 here in Eugene. It is bad. I have windows open all day, all night.

I can't do it now and it is so hot, it makes me have to have air on. I sleep with all the windows open. I guess I am going to have to leave AC on and I never do that. I have been out a handful of times and it is hurts my chest to breathe.

[MissB]

17. Keep running that AC!

Hope you’re able to keep cool enough to sleep.

[LizBeth]

25. I hate running AC. Didn't use it all summer and finally turned on late afternoon last week when it

was in the nineties. I only leave it on about three four hours until it starts cooling off. I hate the expense but more what it does to the environment. I never have it on at night. But, I will probably do it tonight.

Take care you.

[regnaD kciN]

14. Similar up here east of Seattle...

I drove up to Bellingham to pick up our son from Western this afternoon, and it was bright and clear the whole way up. Same on the way back, until we got to I-90, and ran smack into a wall of brown that was worse than anything I’d seen in L.A. on bad air quality days in the ‘70s – and then it got even worse. We’ve got east winds that are supposed to get worse through the night, and we’ve already had the power flicker about a dozen times; expecting we won’t have it for much longer.

[MissB]

15. Hope yours stays on!

We are definitely out.

I guess parts of I-5 near Salem were zero visibility when the wind kicked in- mix of smoke and dust obscured vision.

Did Western shut down in person classes?

[CabalPowered]

21. This is a serious front

Hit us in Idaho hard. 50 mph gust and an immediate 20 degree temperature drop. Was jogging with baby in a stroller and had to sprint home.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

22. Oh, dear. That sounds very unpleasant.

I hope it turns out well for you.

[Grasswire2]

27. bolt of electricity started the huge fire in Oregon City, twitter says

Just what they fear will happen up at Mt. Hood.



Many, many pictures on twitter. These were taken from across the river!

[link:http://

Link to tweet

?s=20|

[Grasswire2]

28. Look at this video from the OC fire. Embers blowing in stiff wind -- fire out of control.

[link:http://

Link to tweet

?s=20|

[MissB]

29. Looks like rivers of lava

Scary!

[smirkymonkey]

31. That is just terrifying!

I will never complain about rain again. Yet Trump just golfs and tweets as if nothing is wrong in this country. It's amazing how he can be so calm about everything.

[True Blue American]

34. Nero fiddled

[smirkymonkey]

30. Take care and stay safe MissB!

It sounds almost apocalyptic out there from everything I am hearing. I hope things get better for you soon.

[MFM008]

32. Near Lakewood WA

haze in the air, smoke smell in the house,
Moon is hazy smokey brilliant Orange.
craps making me sneeze.

[Hekate]

33. Stay safe, MissB