Power outages due to wind

BONNERS FERRY — Wednesday morning saw power outages and wind and flood advisories for Bonner, Boundary and Kootenai counties.

Wind gusts of 35-50 mph pummeled the Inland Northwest, knocking out power for a number of residents. As of early Wednesday afternoon, 3,394 Bonner County residents, 22,573 Kootenai County residents and areas of Boundary County are still without power.

Avista and Northern Lights representatives said they are working as fast as they can to restore power. The weather advisories were in effect through Wednesday evening.

Caution is advised when driving, and residents should be on the lookout for debris and branches in roadways and downed trees or power lines. If you do see a downed power line, report it immediately to Northern Lights at 1-866-665-4837 or Avista at 1-800-227-9187.

There is also an avalanche warning in Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai and Shoshone counties due to snow, warm temperatures, rapid loading with rain and extremely high winds. The Idaho Panhandle Avalanche center says this warning does not apply to ski resorts in the region, but that “human triggered avalanches are certain.”