Power Outage in Old Town
On March 12, 2026, nearly 2,000 residents and businesses in Old Town, Spokane County, found themselves without power after an outage was reported just after 10 a.m. The situation unfolded amid strong winds that reached up to 68 mph in the area, contributing to widespread disruptions.
As the day progressed, Avista Utilities reported that more than 50,000 customers were without power across various counties in Eastern Washington and North Idaho. By around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the number of customers affected had surged to upwards of 3,000 in Washington.
In King County, the situation remained critical, with 33,993 customers without power as of 6:30 a.m. Thursday. The outages were primarily attributed to the severe weather conditions impacting the region.
Power restoration efforts began overnight and continued into the morning hours, with outage numbers dropping to around 90,000 by 4 a.m. This marked a significant improvement, although many residents remained in the dark.
According to Dominion Energy’s online outage map, 1,998 customers were specifically affected in Old Town, with the cause of the outage still pending investigation. Restoration is estimated to occur between 2-5 p.m., providing some hope for those impacted.
Steven Van Horn commented on the situation, stating, “It’s about in-line with what we were expecting,” reflecting the challenges posed by the weather conditions.
In light of the outages, drivers are advised to treat intersections with traffic signal outages as four-way stops to ensure safety on the roads.
The series of events highlights the vulnerability of power infrastructure to severe weather and the importance of timely restoration efforts for affected communities. Details remain unconfirmed regarding the full extent of the damage and the timeline for complete restoration.
As the situation develops, residents are encouraged to stay updated through local news outlets and utility company communications for the latest information on power restoration efforts.
