PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - About 350,000 homes lost power around Oregon when a storm slammed the state with winds topping 90 mph, downing trees and closing sections of major highways.
     
Colder temperatures were expected as the storm passed and winds calmed, bringing heavy snow to lower elevations. But the National Weather Service said a high wind warning would remain in effect until Friday morning.
     
Portland General Electric reported that power had been lost to about 245,000 of its customers - about 30 percent of its service territory that covers much of Portland and Salem.

By the morning, crews had restored power in many places, but over 100,000 people were still in the dark.
     
It was one of the worst outages for PGE since Dec. 12, 1995, when a storm knocked out power to 46 percent of the Portland-based utility's customers.
     
"That shows you the effect of the combination of wind and downed trees can have," said Mark Fryburg, PGE spokesman.
     
Pacific Power, which covers most of the rest of the state, reported 105,000 customers had lost electricity by Thursday night.
     
The affected cities included Lincoln City, Corvallis, Roseburg, Coos Bay, Grants Pass, Hood River, Roseburg, Stayton, Lebanon, Dallas and Albany, said Bekki Witt, Pacific Power spokeswoman.
     
"It could be into Saturday until we know the extent of the damage," Witt said.
     
PGE was calling in crews from other Western utilities to help with the massive repair job, expected to last through the weekend. Pacific Power also was considering whether to bring in assistance from other utilities.
     
Fryburg reminded customers to avoid any downed power lines and report them immediately to the utility or call 911 if they looked to pose any serious danger. "Electricity can travel through water on the ground," he warned.
     
Much of the damage was caused by falling trees and limbs knocked down by winds that gusted past 90 mph on the Oregon coast and up to 80 mph in the Willamette Valley.
     
A gust of 97 mph was recorded at Rockaway Beach before 5 p.m. Thursday on the coast, while gusts reached 80 mph in Salem and 62 mph in Portland.
     
Garibaldi and Lincoln City recorded gusts topping 90 mph on the coast, and wind reached 48 mph in Corvallis and 46 mph in Hillsboro.
     
The Coast Guard said various river bar entrances had been ordered closed to maritime traffic, including the Columbia, Chetco, Coquille, Nehalem, Rogue, Siuslaw and Umpqua rivers. Also closed were the bars to Tillamook Bay, Netarts Bay, Siletz Bay, Depoe Bay and Yaquina Bay.
     
Road closures due to falling debris included sections of U.S. 26 west of Portland, U.S. 101 on the coast and U.S 20 near Sweet Home.
     
The stretch of U.S. 26 between Sandy and Welches east of Portland was closed due to downed trees and debris, said Alice Lasher of the Sandy Fire District.
     
The Oregon Department of Transportation closed three major highways crossing the Cascade Range from the Willamette Valley - U.S. 20, Oregon 22 and Oregon 58 - due to fallen trees or downed power lines.
     
The highways were not expected to reopen until ODOT maintenance crews and utility companies can repair damage and clean up debris - and much of the work could not begin until after daylight, officials said.
     
The state also closed Highway 6 between Banks and Tillamook due to falling trees and very hazardous conditions. There was no detour and travelers were advised to postpone any trips until Friday.
     
ODOT closed a 20-mile stretch of Highway 18 after high winds toppled dozens of trees across the road Thursday afternoon. The section of highway between Grand Ronde and U.S. 101 at Otis Junction was expected to remain closed until at least Friday morning, officials said.
     
"It's just too unsafe out there to take chances with peoples lives," said ODOT District 4 Manager Bob Doran.
     
The National Weather Service said rainfall was expected to be as high as 8 inches on the coast and 5 inches in the Cascade Range, with snow at higher elevations. The Willamette Valley was likely to get 2 to 3 inches of rain, forecasters said.
     
Flood warnings were issued for a number of rivers in northwest Oregon.
     
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)