WOODLAND, Wash. — A Washington man was killed after a tree fell on top of his truck Wednesday morning, according to Washington State Patrol (WSP).
The truck was traveling northbound on State Route 503, also known as Lewis River Road, at milepost 50 in Cowlitz County when a large tree from a nearby hill fell and hit the truck, WSP said. Edward Norton, 53, died.
Earlier this week, an April snowstorm brought between a dusting and several inches of snow to parts of Southwest Washington and the valley floor in Oregon. WSP did not say whether the severe weather contributed to the man's death.
At least two record low temperatures for April were tied or set Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Sea-Tac Airport recorded a low of 32 degrees on April 13, which tied the coldest April day on record, set on April 4, 1975. Olympia recorded a low of 28 degrees and broke the previous coldest April day record of 30 degrees set on April 19, 2008.
Hazel Dell reported two inches of snow Monday morning while Ridgefield saw 5.5 inches and Skamania had 7.5 inches.
In Oregon, the snow on Monday caused multiple road closures throughout Portland's West Hills area. All lanes of Highway 26 were also closed for a period of time between Interstate 405 and the State Highway 217 interchange due to downed trees.
School districts, including large districts like Portland, Beaverton, Tigard-Tualatin and Vancouver, announced closures and delays due to the snow.
Thousands of Portland General Electric (PGE) and Pacific Power customers went without power in Portland and surrounding areas.