High wind warning for the Columbia Basin Wednesday and Thursday

Dynamic weather is forecast for the Pacific Northwest through Thursday with a low pressure system forecast to make landfall on Vancouver Island and continue eastward across Southern British Columbia. This low will drag a cold front along, sweeping through Washington and Oregon to bring strong winds.

These strong winds have prompted the National Weather Service to issue high wind warnings for much of Eastern Washington and Northeast Oregon for Wednesday evening into Thursday morning. These warnings cover from the Columbia Gorge through the Columbia Basin up to Spokane and the Palouse.

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For the Columbia Basin and nearby areas, southwest winds are forecast to be sustained in the 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50 km/h) range with gusts to 60 mph (95 km/h). Around Spokane and on the Palouse winds could gust to 65 mph (105 km/h).

The strongest winds will be on hilltops and outside of towns where trees and buildings do not impede air flow. Things will still be windy in town, we’re just unlikely to see the highest wind gusts in built up areas.

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A few power outages are possible and travel will be difficult on northwest-southeast highways like some parts of SR 240 across the Hanford Site.

It is common for Eastern Washington and Northeast Oregon to get windy after rainfall, which we are forecast to see on Wednesday. This is because cold fronts often bring rain to the inland deserts.

Behind the cold front high pressure builds along the coast. It will try to also build into the inland areas but the Cascades block the air from moving in. It does filter through slowly, but only through gaps in the mountains like the Columbia River Gorge and Snoqualmie Pass.

Imagine an inflatable pool filled with water, and then imagine stepping on one of the sides. Water rushes out from where you’re stepping but it takes time to completely reach “equilibrium” on both sides. The gaps in the Cascades are like where we have stepped on the side of the pool. Wind that moves through these gaps is called gap flow.

This is why Boardman, Hermiston, the Tri-Cities, and Ellensburg often observe strong wind after rain while it can be hit or miss in Yakima. While Yakima is downwind of White Pass, White Pass is higher elevation than the Columbia Gorge and Snoqualmie Pass thus the gap flow is less efficient in that region.

The cold front is not just bringing strong winds to the Inland Northwest. Blizzard warnings are posted for the Western Washington Cascades along and north of US 12 (including Snoqualmie Pass) where 2-4 feet (60-120 cm) of snow are forecast with strong winds. Additional winter weather alerts have been posted for other mountainous regions in the Pacific Northwest.

Active weather continues in the region beyond the Wednesday-Thursday storm. The jet stream will continue to be parked on top of the Pacific Northwest which will keep sending in moisture and storms. We will be adding to regional snowpack but it won’t be nearly enough to make up for the deficit so far this season.

If you witness ICE activity, use the S.A.L.U.T.E. protocol when reporting.

Share any immigration‑related photos or videos at:
* iceinmyarea.org
* iceout.org

#SALUTEProtocol #EyesOnICE #TriCities #Kennewick #Pasco #Richland #BentonCounty #FranklinCounty #Washington #ICE

If you witness ICE activity, use the S.A.L.U.T.E. protocol when reporting.

Share any immigration‑related photos or videos at:
* iceinmyarea.org
* iceout.org

#SALUTEProtocol #EyesOnICE #TriCities #Kennewick #Pasco #Richland #BentonCounty #FranklinCounty #Washington #ICE

#ICESpotted
#ICESpottedTennessee

#ICEOut:
https://iceout.org/en/reportInfo/107480

SIZE/STRENGTH:
3+

ACTIONS/ACTIVITY:
Loitering / Parked
Staging / Raid Planning

LOCATION:
#KingsportTN
(part of the #TriCities)
#SullivanCountyTN
#HawkinsCountyTN

UNIFORM:
Masks, fatigues with “Police” written on them

TIME AND DATE OF OBSERVATION:
12:00 PM (local time)
February 12th, 2026

EQUIPMENT AND WEAPONS:
Sidearms

#ICE

Sharing for signal: #ACLU

#TriCities #Kennewick #Pasco #Richland #Washington #CivilRights #ImmigrantRights #Immigration

https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/immigrants-rights

Read the linked article to identify ICE collaborators and start organizing a boycott.

Encourage others to boycott ICE partners too.

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