SEATTLE -- Trees and power lines snapped Saturday as a powerful storm bearing the remnants of a Pacific typhoon hit the Northwest.
Tens of thousands of people were without power in Oregon and Washington on Saturday as the storm made landfall after gathering intensity off the coast. The National Weather Service said winds gusted above 50 mph in the Portland area, and strong winds and heavy rain squalls were hitting the Seattle area Saturday night.
"We've definitely seen a good round of strong wind, with gusts along the coast anywhere from 60 mph to 80 mph in some of the more exposed parts, and 50 to 60 mph in the Portland area," said Matthew Cullen, a meteorologist with the agency. "There's scattered damage."
Emergency crews reported trees and power lines down throughout the region. The Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue posted a photograph on Facebook of a tree that crushed the new car and part of the home of a family in North Plains, Ore., near Portland. The Washington Department of Transportation said trees fell onto Interstate 5 near Olympia, blocking a lane.
No injuries were immediately reported Saturday.
In Coburg, Ore., north of Eugene, a moss-covered tree limb smashed a bright yellow 2003 Mustang parked outside the Dari Mart convenience store. The car was owned by Dari Mart employee Angel Ramon.
"I have never parked in that spot before," Ramon told The Register-Guard newspaper.
The storm produced heavy rain and wind from northern California to Washington state.
People in the Quinault Indian Nation, on the coast of Washington's Olympic Peninsula, fretted that the storm would produce a swell that would breach the sea wall that separates its main village from the Pacific Ocean, but the wall was holding Saturday as seas reached 30 feet, members of the tribe said.
The ocean has breached the sea wall twice in recent years, producing extensive flooding. The tribe is working to relocate the village to higher ground because of the rising sea level and the risk of a tsunami.
The storm carried the remnants of Typhoon Songda, which wreaked havoc in the western Pacific days ago.
The weather service urged people to finish any chores requiring power -- such as charging cellphones -- and to fill prescriptions and secure loose yard items before the worst winds hit.
Officials also warned residents to keep off the roads. They closed parks and zoos, and even halted visiting hours at state prisons as the storm approached.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray urged residents to avoid the city's many parks this weekend.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was rushing to fix a 300-foot section of a rocky coastal retaining wall in La Push, Wash. The jetty had previously failed, and the only thing remaining of it was a gravel berm, according to spokesman Patricia Graesser. A breach of the wall would expose the Quileute tribe's reservation, a Coast Guard station, and marina to direct Pacific wave action.
The storm closely followed a separate storm that on Friday produced a tornado in Manzanita, Ore.
Tillamook County Sheriff Andy Long said the tornado touched down in Manzanita about 8:20 a.m. Friday. There were no reports of injuries.
The mayor declared a state of emergency -- a necessary step for the small town 90 miles west of Portland to be eligible for federal disaster money.
Long said two businesses were destroyed, and one home was uninhabitable. He said other homes have roof damage.
The National Weather Service said another twister made landfall about 9 a.m. Friday near Oceanside, Ore., but no damage was reported. A total of 10 tornado warnings were issued.
In Seattle, a 4-year-old boy and his father were injured by a falling tree branch Friday. The Seattle Fire Department said the child suffered serious injuries and the father minor injuries.
The Coast Guard and other agency officials near Port Angeles, Wash., made several trips to rescue 40 teenagers and six adults who became stranded at an outdoor recreation camp Friday after they lost power, and downed trees blocked their way out.
The heavy rain created dangerous conditions throughout the region, as drivers tried to see out rain-pounded windshields and navigate through standing water on roads.
Information for this article was contributed by Steven Dubois, Martha Bellisle, Alina Hartounian, Lisa Baumann, Kristen Bender, Scott Sonner and Rebecca Boone of The Associated Press.
A Section on 10/16/2016