City of Spokane Prepared For Forecasted Winds

City of Spokane Prepared For Forecasted Winds

Erin Hut, Director of Communications and Marketing

Wednesday, March 11, 2026 at 2 p.m.

The National Weather Service is forecasting strong winds with gusts of 50 to 65 mph to develop Wednesday evening and persist into early Thursday morning, bringing a potential for widespread tree damage, power outages, and difficult driving conditions.

City of Spokane first responders, Spokane 311, as well as Street and Parks crews, are preparing to respond to calls for assistance and reports of damage.

"Spokane is no stranger to high winds, but we ask that everyone take the necessary precautions to ensure we get through this safely. Stay inside, secure loose items, and pay attention to changing conditions," Mayor Lisa Brown said. "Our first responders, street crews, and 311 teams are standing by and ready to respond to potential damage."

Public safety officials urge citizens to use extreme caution if they must go out during the high winds.

The City has already activated its inclement weather plan, meaning additional surge capacity is available at local shelters for those who are experiencing homelessness. Bed availability can be found at sheltermespokane.org.

Citizens can call 3-1-1 to report trees blocking roadways or downed trees in City parks. For trees entangled with power lines, please call Avista at 1-800-277-9187. Visit myAvista.com/outage to report an outage. If downed power lines pose an emergency, call 9-1-1. Do not approach downed power lines. Intersections that do not have power should be treated as a four-way stop.

After winds subside, City crews will prioritize opening blocked arterials. After that, crews will work to open blocked residential streets and will then move to general debris removal from streets. Parks teams will evaluate and manage tree damage in City parks, first addressing safety hazards, followed by clearing pathways and general clean-up. Residents are asked to avoid parks with visible damage, and remain cautious even in areas without apparent damage.

Residential and commercial garbage and recycling customers may experience a delay in service depending on the level of storm impact.

After the storm, citizens can take yard debris to the Waste to Energy facility, 2900 S. Geiger Blvd. Standard criteria apply, branches less than 3" in diameter and no tree root balls. Residents who need assistance with clearing tree debris from private property are encouraged to refer to the list of licensed arborists at spokanecity.org.

• Older