View of Columbia River Gorge by Rooster Rock in Oregon on the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. (U.S. Forest Service)

Newspapers spend a lot of time examining things that went wrong. It’s harder to gauge what events could have been worse. But a look at the speed of wind gusts roaring through the Columbia River Gorge last weekend suggests state electrical utilities averted calamity by turning off parts of the power grid.

Nearly 50,000 Oregonians were without power Sept. 9—many of them only saw power restored two days later. The reason? A forecast of an east wind event that could rival the 2020 Labor Day windstorm.

That event was a catastrophe: It toppled transformers and snapped power lines owned by PacifiCorp, sparking the Beachie Creek Fire that destroyed much Detroit, Ore. Chastened by that disaster (and lawsuits), PacifiCorp and Portland General Electric acted quickly to shut off power before the wind arrived.

As of press deadlines, PGE couldn’t say how many power poles were found toppled as crews worked to restore power after the shutoffs. That’s the key number for measuring how much danger was forestalled by shutting off electricity across the state.

“As we patrolled and inspected 1,800 miles of line and equipment, we saw damage from wind gusts that topped 40 and 50 miles per hour in some areas,” says PGE spokesman John Farmer. “With an effort this size, we’re still assessing information, and it’s early in that process—though we are hearing validation from some critical service providers that we made the right call.”

For now, we’ll have to settle for the wind speeds measured by the National Weather Service in or near the areas where PGE powered down. They show dangerously high gusts, in some cases rivaling the winds of 2020.

Top Wind Gusts Measured Sept. 9-10 (source: National Weather Service)

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