Freezing Rain, More Snow In The Forecast For The Willamette Valley Monday

The Portland metro area woke up to a sheet of ice Monday morning after a weekend of snow and freezing rain coated the city. That created slick and dangerous driving conditions for much of the area and led to widespread school closures and delays.

As temperatures hovered right around freezing for much of the area Sunday evening and into Monday morning, the National Weather Service says Portland and the surrounding area received as much as a 1/2 inch of ice, with more freezing rain on the way.

"Temperatures have been really hard to get above freezing basically from the West Hills eastward across the metro area. Because of that we have ice still out in that area and we’re going to continue to see light freezing rain for the next several hours as temperatures are just hovering right there around 31 or 32 degrees," said Clinton Rocky, a meteorologist with the NWS in Portland.

Rocky said rising temperatures across the metro area will start to help things thaw, but not until about 9 or 10 Monday morning. And showers will continue to blanket the city and the greater Willamette Valley. But snow is still possible for the north and central Willamette Valley as those showers push colder air downward.

"It’s what we like to call a Rice Krispie Treat out there," Rocky said of the ice coating much of the region. "We have the snap crackle and popping of power lines and trees from time to time."

Portland General Electric said Sunday night that about 200 customers were still without power due to complications from ice. As many as 4,300 PGE customers were without power earlier Sunday.

And roads are very slick as commuters make their way to work Monday morning, the Oregon Department of Transportation said. ODOT crews have been treating roads all weekend long, but the wave of freezing rain overnight in Portland ensured a slick coating of ice on area highways, thoroughfares and side streets. ODOT is confident that warmer temperatures expected to arrive in the area later Monday will help thaw the area and create safer road conditions, but cautioned it will take time to get the roads clear of snow and ice.

"The biggest problem we have is the Gorge," Don Hamilton with ODOT said Monday morning. Interstate 84 is open, but chains are required from Interstate 205 in east Portland out to Hood River due to slick conditions, Hamilton said.

ODOT reported later Monday morning that it reopened I-84 before Pendleton and Ontario. The agency has issued a chain requirement for this stretch of I-84 due to icy conditions.

For many in Portland, public transit is often a choice in bad weather, but icy conditions caused significant delays for TriMet's bus and MAX lines early Monday. TriMet restored MAX service in most areas later Monday morning, but noted that some bus routes are still on delay and on snow routes due to road conditions. The agency asked riders to check trimet.org/alerts before heading out to ensure the most accurate times for bus routes.

Across the Columbia River in Vancouver, several bus lines are running on snow routes and the Camas connector line is not running, according to C-TRAN.

Hamilton offered advice for those commuters brave enough to venture onto the roads Monday: be extra careful and watch for pedestrians and bicyclists.

"Stopping distances are so much longer when you’ve got slick roads like this, and that means you’ve got to keep a special eye out for pedestrians and bicyclists out there," he said.

Oregon State Police responded to more than 750 traffic incidents statewide during a 36-hour period from Friday evening through Sunday morning. That number will likely rise as people venture out onto the roads to get to work and school Monday morning.

Eugene and the southern Willamette Valley, which was hit hard by snow Saturday and had another round of freezing rain come through to top that off, should see warmer temperatures and quicker thawing Monday, Rocky said.

"Temperatures down there have been in the upper 30s all night long and that’s been allowing that ice to melt away," he said. "Today we expect temperatures down in the Eugene area and up into the central Valley to get into the low 40s."

But, there's a storm system arriving that may pass right over the southern and central Willamette Valley Tuesday evening and into Wednesday that could bring with it as much as an inch or two of snow.

That's nothing compared to what the Columbia River Gorge received this weekend. In the eastern parts of the Gorge, near Hood River, the NWS recorded as much as 8-12 inches of snowfall over the weekend. That number dipped down to about 4-to-6 inches as you move westward along the Gorge toward Cascade Locks. And Rocky said the region will see additional scattered snow showers throughout the day Monday, but should be relatively free of freezing rain as temperatures will hover right around the mid to low 20s throughout the day.

Spencer Raymond

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John Rosman

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John Rosman

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Chris Lehman

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Spencer Raymond

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Spencer Raymond

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John Rosman

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John Rosman

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Spencer Raymond

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John Rosman

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Spencer Raymond

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