Up to 17,678 Avista Utilities customers in North Idaho and the surrounding areas could be without power Saturday afternoon amid a high risk of wildfires.
Avista said dry conditions and strong winds factored into their decision to “likely” power down about 20 areas between Grangeville and Rathdrum beginning at 4 p.m. Pacific Time.
Further outages are expected around Spokane and further north to the Canadian border.
You can check the status of these planned outages here.
The utility offered these suggestions for those who may be affected by these planned outages.
- If an outage does occur, it may last for an extended period.
- Please plan ahead for what you may need, as well as the care of your pets and livestock, including access to water, feed, shelter and any equipment that requires electricity.
- Review your emergency plan and make sure everyone in your household knows what to do if the power goes out.
- Avista will continue to monitor high-fire-risk conditions and will contact customers with updates.
- Customers who will be affected by this proactive step will receive direct communication.
- When power is turned off for safety, Avista will work to turn service back on as soon as it is safe and crews have completed required safety patrols.
- To help complete power line and equipment inspections as safely and efficiently as possible, crews may use drones, including in hard-to-reach areas. Customers may see drones operating near utility infrastructure as part of the restoration process.
- Depending on how long high-fire-risk weather conditions last, or if repairs are needed to damaged power lines, power could stay off longer than 24 hours.
- If you have a backup generator, please do a safety check and make sure you have enough fuel to last several days. Generator safety tips are available at com/PSPS.
- If you rely on uninterrupted power for your health and safety or need assistance, additional support may be available. Please plan for a possible outage and identify alternative power or support options. Please visit myavista.com/medicalequipment.
Copyright 2026 Boise State Public Radio
