WENATCHEE — Eleven thousand Chelan County households were without power Thursday morning and travel through western Chelan County became hazardous in the wake of severe winds and rainfall.
A photo from Leavenworth area resident Dave Summers show mud and debris Wednesday across Icicle Road just below Eightmile Creek, northwest of Leavenworth.
Stevens and Blewett Passes across the Cascades were closed due to safety concerns, and waterways in the Wenatchee Valley swelled. The Wenatchee River at Peshastin measured at 15.25 feet as of 8:15 a.m., entering its major flood stage, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which monitors river levels.
The Chelan County Emergency Management agency warned residents Thursday morning to take caution in areas close to water as creeks and rivers rise. A Red Cross emergency shelter was scheduled to be set up this afternoon in the Cashmere area.
Responders were called Thursday morning to two separate water rescues involving inundated homes, said Sgt. Jason Reinfeld, Chelan County’s emergency management director. Both of them, at Cedar Brae Road near Lake Wenatchee and off East Leavenworth Road, involved homes surrounded by water where the occupants couldn’t safely escape.
A tree limb hurled by stormwaters speared through the windshield of a 2022 Ram pickup on Highway 207.
No evacuation notices have been issued related to the floods, and Reinfeld said no serious injuries or fatalities have been reported as a direct result of high waters.
On Wednesday, the Washington State Patrol said a 65-year-old motorist from Wenatchee suffered minor injuries when he was struck by a tree limb about 1 p.m. while traveling south on Highway 207 near Coles Corner.
That limb was apparently hurled up from the roiling water of Nason Creek, which runs alongside the roadway, and crashed through the windshield of the driver’s 2022 Ram pickup. He was treated at Cascade Medical Center in Leavenworth.
Weather stations at Peshastin recorded just over 2/5 of an inch of rainfall Wednesday, and wind gusts up to 60 mph. That combination, plus days of previous rainfall, led to downed trees and power lines, many of them reported by Chelan County sheriff’s deputies. That agency handled four natural disaster calls, plus 17 calls for hazards such as treefalls or slides.
Power outages began to plague the Upper Valley about 3 p.m., as reports of pole fires and fallen lines came in along Chumstick Highway and North Road. The blackout killed traffic lights and overhead illumination along Highway 2 between Cashmere and Leavenworth.
The disruptions stretched from Blewett Pass to Lake Wenatchee. At their peak, the blackouts affected 14,112 customers, including those served by the Cashmere substation. This morning the figure was 10,946, after power to the Cashmere area was restored.
The Chelan County Public Utility District said today power could be restored to remaining areas by 6 p.m. Subsequent blackouts that hit the south shore of Lake Chelan and the remote lakeside village of Stehekin might be resolved by noon.
Emergency managers issued a public safety alert Wednesday night for Chelan County, “requesting citizens avoid traveling on the roadways until conditions improve.” Around Leavenworth, debris and fallen trees made areas of Chumstick Highway, North Road and East Leavenworth Road impassable, along with some neighborhoods in the city itself.
Chelan County Public Works closed down a portion of East Leavenworth Road at the bridge near the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, warning that rising water could damage the banks supporting the roadway. Rising water across road surfaces also forced closure of White River Road and Little Wenatchee River Road at Lake Wenatchee.
The Cascade School District, serving Leavenworth and surrounding communities including Dryden, Peshastin and Plain, canceled classes and events today for its 1,262 students. The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest advised it has closed public access to the Wenatchee River Ranger District until further notice.
