{
  "id": "2025-12-17-lewis-clark-state-college-wind-storm-closure",
  "slug": "lewis-clark-state-college-wind-storm-closure-2025-12-17",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Lewis-Clark State College",
    "shortName": "LCSC",
    "state": "ID",
    "type": "public-bachelors",
    "alertSystemName": "Warrior Mail / Phone Tree",
    "enrollment": 4000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2025-12-17",
    "type": "severe-storm",
    "cleryCategory": "advisory",
    "headline": "An 84 MPH Gust at the Lewiston Airport Closes Campus Until Noon",
    "summary": "A severe wind storm swept through north-central Idaho and southeastern Washington early on the morning of December 17, 2025, with [gusts reaching 84 mph at the Lewiston airport](https://www.lmtribune.com/local-news/severe-winds-arrive-wednesday-morning-more-than-16000-customers-without-power-lewiston-schools-delayed-2-hours-a12a2ddf) and knocking out power to more than 25,000 Avista customers across an eight-county region. [Lewis-Clark State College closed its Lewiston campus until noon](https://www.dnews.com/local-news/severe-winds-arrive-wednesday-morning-more-than-16000-customers-without-power-lewiston-schools-delayed-2-hours-a12a2ddf) because of storm damage before resuming operations later that day."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Early morning, December 17, 2025 (PST), as the wind storm hit and before classes were scheduled to begin",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Lewis-Clark State College Alert: Due to damage from this morning's wind storm, campus will be closed until noon today. Please avoid campus until further notice. Updates will follow as conditions are assessed.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.lmtribune.com/local-news/severe-winds-arrive-wednesday-morning-more-than-16000-customers-without-power-lewiston-schools-delayed-2-hours-a12a2ddf",
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed from Lewiston Tribune and Moscow-Pullman Daily News reporting that LCSC's campus was closed until noon 'because of damage from wind storm'; the exact wording of LCSC's own notice was not published",
      "annotations": [
        "The storm produced sustained winds mostly in the 50-to-60-mph range regionally, with an 84 mph gust recorded at the Lewiston airport, among the more severe wind events reported in the Lewiston-Clarkston valley in recent years",
        "Avista Utilities reported 285 separate outages affecting more than 25,000 customers across an eight-county region of north-central Idaho and southeastern Washington, warning that some outages could last multiple days",
        "Regional coverage did not specify whether LCSC's own buildings lost power directly or whether the closure reflected downed trees, debris, and general storm hazard on campus; 'damage from wind storm' was the only cause cited in the reporting reviewed"
      ],
      "characterCount": 208
    }
  ],
  "context": "A powerful wind storm moved through the Inland Northwest overnight into the morning of December 17, 2025, producing sustained winds in the 50-to-60-mph range with an [84 mph gust recorded at the Lewiston airport](https://www.lmtribune.com/local-news/severe-winds-arrive-wednesday-morning-more-than-16000-customers-without-power-lewiston-schools-delayed-2-hours-a12a2ddf) and an 81 mph gust at the Pullman airport just across the Washington state line. Avista Utilities reported 285 separate outages affecting more than 25,000 customers across an eight-county region of north-central Idaho and southeastern Washington, and warned that assessing all storm damage could take 24 hours or more, with some outages potentially lasting multiple days. Against that backdrop, [Lewis-Clark State College closed its Lewiston campus until noon](https://www.dnews.com/local-news/severe-winds-arrive-wednesday-morning-more-than-16000-customers-without-power-lewiston-schools-delayed-2-hours-a12a2ddf) because of storm damage, one of several regional school closures and delays reported that morning alongside Lewiston's public schools, which delayed their own start by two hours. The storm also damaged multiple hangar roofs at the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport. Coverage reviewed for this case did not specify the precise nature of the damage to LCSC's own campus or confirm a direct campus power outage, only that the college cited storm damage in closing through midday.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "LCSC's closure decision came amid a genuinely severe regional wind event (an 84 mph gust at the Lewiston airport) rather than routine winter weather caution",
    "The college's own cited reason, 'damage from wind storm', was less specific than the region-wide Avista outage figures, illustrating a common gap between an institution's terse closure notice and the fuller picture available from utility and news reporting",
    "LCSC's half-day closure (until noon) was shorter than the multi-day outage timeline Avista warned some customers could face, suggesting the campus itself was not among the most severely affected sites",
    "The closure occurred alongside broader regional school delays and closures, situating LCSC's response within a coordinated local pattern rather than an isolated campus decision"
  ],
  "responseTimeMinutes": null,
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Severe winds arrive Wednesday morning; more than 16,000 customers without power, Lewiston schools delayed 2 hours (Lewiston Tribune)",
      "url": "https://www.lmtribune.com/local-news/severe-winds-arrive-wednesday-morning-more-than-16000-customers-without-power-lewiston-schools-delayed-2-hours-a12a2ddf",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Severe winds arrive Wednesday morning; more than 16,000 customers without power, Lewiston schools delayed 2 hours (Moscow-Pullman Daily News)",
      "url": "https://www.dnews.com/local-news/severe-winds-arrive-wednesday-morning-more-than-16000-customers-without-power-lewiston-schools-delayed-2-hours-a12a2ddf",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "High Winds Topple Trees, Shut Down Roads Across LC Valley (KLEW)",
      "url": "https://klewtv.com/news/local/high-winds-topple-trees-shut-down-roads-across-lc-valley",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Plans and Procedures - Emergency Preparedness | Lewis-Clark State",
      "url": "https://www.lcsc.edu/emergency-preparedness/plans-and-procedures",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "low",
  "tags": [
    "severe-storm",
    "idaho",
    "wind-storm",
    "power-outage",
    "campus-closure",
    "lewiston",
    "avista",
    "regional-event"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-07-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-03",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}