Heavy rain and strong winds have left thousands without power in Salem, but by Saturday evening, efforts to restore electricity were largely successful. According to Portland General Electric’s outage map, the number of affected homes and businesses dwindled dramatically as power was reestablished.
The outage, which began Saturday afternoon, initially impacted nearly 7,000 residences in the south Salem area. The hardest hit locations were around Kuebler Boulevard and Sunnyside Road, where over 4,000 households lost power—most notably due to a fallen tree. Another outage in the region was still being investigated at the time. Residents in east Salem were also impacted; nearly 3,000 homes lost power earlier in the day but saw restoration by around 3 p.m.
Dispatch records reported multiple downed wires throughout Salem, highlighting the significant effects of the storm. Wind gusts reached up to 37 miles per hour, creating hazardous conditions. The National Weather Service predicted that winds would continue at moderate speeds throughout the night, accompanied by ongoing showers and a chance of thunderstorms.
Community resilience shone through as local utility crews worked tirelessly to resolve the outages, ensuring the majority of residents regained power as the storm subsided. With this quick response, the city’s infrastructure demonstrated its capacity to handle severe weather challenges.