Hunter Killed as Storms Lash Northwest

Flood warnings issued in Washington state
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 20, 2012 8:17 AM CST
Hunter Killed as Storms Lash Northwest
During a strong gust of wind, Michele Purkey's umbrella flips back as she crosses the intersection of First Avenue and Wall Street on Nov. 19, 2012, in downtown Spokane, Wash.   (AP Photo/The Spokesman-Review, Colin Mulvany)

Residents in Washington and Oregon braced for more wet weather after a fierce storm swamped streets, toppled trees and large trucks, cut power to nearly 50,000 residents, and caused at least one death in Oregon, where a hunter was killed yesterday morning when a tree crashed on his tent as gusts reached more than 70mph. A Portland police officer was also seriously injured when a tree fell during all-terrain vehicle training, and in southwest Washington, a Washington State Patrol car and another vehicle were struck by a tree carried by a mudslide.

The patrol car started burning, and both vehicles were destroyed by the fire. Both drivers were able to escape. Flood warnings have been issued for a handful of western Washington rivers, with moderate flooding expected today along the Chehalis River in the Centralia, Wash., area. Nearly 2 inches of rain fell in six hours yesterday in one Seattle neighborhood—a total that one meteorologist called "extraordinary." Wet weather is expected to continue through the week, but a National Weather Service meteorologist said last night: "The heavy rain is over. We're into showers now." (More Washington state stories.)

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