High Water, High Winds Impact Communities Along the McKenzie

The McKenzie Valey faced a round of severe winter weather last week when a strong atmospheric river moved into the central and southern Willamette Valley, bringing heavy rain, high winds, flooding concerns and widespread power outages.

Lane County Emergency Management issued a warning Wednesday evening, December 17, urging residents to prepare for hazardous conditions expected through Friday.

Forecasts called for several inches of rain across the region, with totals of up to 4.5 inches in the Eugene area and as much as 6 inches in eastern foothill communities.

River levels rose quickly in response to the rainfall. High winds also compounded the impacts. A wind advisory was issued for the central and southern Willamette Valley, Cascade foothills and the Coast Range lowlands, with south winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour and gusts reaching up to 45 mph. Officials warned that downed trees and power lines were likely.

To help residents prepare for potential flooding, sandbags were made available in areas that traditionally experience high water during major storms. Distribution sites included the McKenzie Fire Disaster Relief Logistics Building on McKenzie Highway and the Mohawk Community Church, with supplies provided in partnership with local fire departments.

Rainfall totals underscored the storm’s intensity. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported nearly 8 inches of rain at Cougar Reservoir between December 16 and 21st. Downstream, the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) recorded peak flows of 26,600 cubic feet per second through the Leaburg Dam’s rollgates on December19.

The heavy rain and saturated ground caused significant damage to the region’s power infrastructure. On the 16th, EWEB shut off power to parts of its upriver territory after a structure supporting a transmission line began to lean, posing an immediate safety concern. Customers from Walterville to Vida were without electricity overnight, while areas west of Walterville largely remained in service.

The situation worsened early December 17 when the compromised transmission tower collapsed. EWEB worked with the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to reroute power, restoring service to most McKenzie Valley customers later that day. Repairs to the fallen tower were expected to take considerably longer due to environmental and safety challenges.

Lane Electric Cooperative also reported extensive outages as wind and falling debris damaged lines. At the peak of the storm, roughly 450 members were without power. Crews worked around the clock in difficult conditions, with progress slowed as new outages occurred nearly as quickly as repairs were completed. By December 19, outages had dropped to just over 400, and utility officials said the most severe weather appeared to have passed.

By the next day, Lane Electric crews had restored power to nearly all members. However, a late-night loss of transmission power to the Blue River substation left McKenzie-area customers without electricity again. BPA crews completed repairs, with a brief planned outage scheduled late December 22 to finalize reconnections.

The storm also disrupted daily life. First responders received a 911 call at 1:59 am on December 17 from the 54000 block of the McKenzie Hwy. in Rainbow. The caller advised he was smashing windows trying to get out after a tree fell on their RV. His wife, he reported, was still pinned inside

The Walterville Elementary School was closed on that morning and McKenzie School District closed for a second consecutive day on Decembe 18. Highway 126 experienced additional closures, and hundreds of residents remained without power as cleanup and restoration efforts continued.

Utility officials emphasized that while outages were frustrating, shutting down damaged infrastructure likely prevented more serious incidents. Crews from EWEB, Lane Electric and BPA continued to assess damage and complete long-term repairs as the region recovers from one of the season’s strongest storms.