A quick-moving storm brought frequent cloud-to-ground lightning to the West Plains area Thursday night, triggering a large power outage for city utility customers.
According to City of West Plains Public Relations Coordinator Cody Sanders, crews were dispatched at 8:40 p.m. Thursday to respond to an outage originating at the Lincoln Substation. The service interruption affected customers along Thornburgh Avenue, parts of Missouri Avenue and the numbered streets on the east side of Porter Wagoner Boulevard.
Upon arrival, utility crews discovered a circuit had tripped, likely due to lightning. While restoring power to the majority of the affected area, crews located a burnt line on Cass Avenue. Sanders noted the damage was also likely caused by lightning. Personnel worked through the evening to repair the line and restore service.
Howell-Oregon Electric Cooperative reported no outages within its service area during the event.
WEEKEND FORECAST
The volatile weather is expected to settle into a much cooler pattern as the weekend progresses. According to the National Weather Service in Springfield, a Friday night cold front was expected to shift winds to the northwest and usher in significantly lower temperatures.
While daytime highs reached the 80s earlier this week, today’s high is expected to reach only 62 degrees. Forecasters are warning of a potential for frost late tonight into early Sunday morning as the overnight low drops to near 35 degrees.
The cooler, dry conditions are expected to persist into early next week, with sunny skies and highs in the upper 60s and 70s forecast through Tuesday.
