|
 |
Posted on 12/29/2003 5:19:18 PM PST by Salvation
|
|
03:19 PM PST on Monday, December 29, 2003
The Willamette Valley could jump from the snowy depths into treacherous ice as overnight temperatures drop into the mid-20s.
Melting snow left over from Monday morning’s storm could quickly turn into frozen slush as day passes into night, said KGW meteorologist Bruce Sussman.
|
Already, Oregon Department of Transportation crews are preparing for the worst. Between 50 and 75 ODOT personnel are ready to move out and target potential problem areas, said spokesman Shawn Uhlman.
Those problem spots could be Highway 26 at the top of the Sylvan Hills, the hardest hit area in Portland. ODOT plans on laying down sand on heavily-traveled roads that are frozen.
If the pavement is dry, ODOT will deploy de-icing agent first on bridges, on-ramps and off-ramps that could freeze overnight before moving to other areas, Uhlman said. De-icing chemicals won’t work on wet roads.
“We’re going to continue to have all our forces out on the roads and do everything we can,” Uhlman said.
Much of the snow fell on the west side of the Willamette River in Portland, turning the morning commute into a slippery sledding track along the Sunset Highway at the top of Sylvan Hills.
Cars spun into roadsides at the top of the heavily-traveled freeway during the pre-dawn hours, while other commuters traversed slushy side streets.
A Pacific storm system trudging in a southeast direction dragged frigid air from the Columbia River, causing snow to fall throughout the Willamette Valley, Sussman said.
But before it passed to the east side of the Cascades on Monday morning, the storm dropped up to four inches of snow fell on the West Hills and other hilltops around the Portland-Vancouver area, Sussman said.
The hardest hit metro area in the Willamette Valley was Salem, which saw between four and six inches of snow on the ground. In Dallas west of Salem, residents there reported snow depths of up to 10 inches.
|
“Salem got a more direct blow from the storm than we did,” Sussman said.
Much of the snow ended by 9:30 a.m. in the Portland-Vancouver area and a snow advisory that was issued Sunday night by the National Weather Service was lifted by late Monday morning.
Tri-Met bus service was disrupted throughout the Portland area.
“Some buses serving the SW hills and surrounding areas are on snow routes this morning,” said Tri-Met’s Bruce Solberg. “Bus riders in the area should expect minor delays because buses have chains on their tires. Riders heading to Marquam Hill and the Oregon City hill areas will transfer to buses with chains.”
A few routes, like 157- Happy Valley, were cancelled due to the snow.
MAX train service, though, was unaffected. Solberg said it remained on a regular schedule.
In Clackamas County, all ten plows and three sanders were on the roads Monday morning. When snow levels dipped to 300 feet in Clackamas County, lower elevations there saw about one inch of snow and up to 8 inches of snow in the Molalla foothills, county officials said.
The snow was expected to taper off later Monday, with highs reaching into the 40s. But temperatures are forecast to fall to the 20s overnight, making for freezing driving conditions on Tuesday morning.
Firefighter and paramedic Tom Henke outside Albany Fire Station 11 on Monday morning. (Photo courtesy of Tom Henke) |
Several inches of snow fell during the weekend in the Coast Range, the Columbia Gorge and the foothills of the Cascades. Above 2,500 feet, mountain areas received at least six inches.
"Some places made the cut. Some places didn't," Sussman said.
A driver attempts to push his car out of a jam in the Sylvan Hills area of Portland. (KGW Photo) |
So much snow had fallen at the Siskiyou Summit as of Monday morning that Oregon State Patrol troopers said they had to shut down I-5 from the summit to Shasta, Calif. The troopers reported blizzard conditions and multiple accidents.
Storm watch -- Oregon, Northern California
Storm strands hundreds of I-5 motorists
05:16 PM PST on Monday, December 29, 2003
ASHLAND, Ore. -- Police used snowmobiles to bring food, gas and water to hundreds of stranded drivers Monday after a fierce snowstorm closed nearly 150 miles of Interstate 5 in California and Oregon.
The northbound lanes of Interstate 5 on the Siskiyou Pass reopened at 4 p.m., following a 19-hour closure. The southbound I-5 lanes will remain closed as emergency crews continue to clear the roadway. The Oregon Department of Transportation and the Oregon State Police estimated the southbound lanes will reopen by 8 p.m., depending on weather and traffic conditions.
Heavy snow covers Interstate 5 about one mile north of the Siskiyou Summit. (ODOT traffic camera) |
"We have people with children, with medication needs, people who are on oxygen and did not bring an extra tank," said Jared Castle, a spokesman for the Oregon Department of Transportation.
"I understand that everyone is cold, wet and tired," Castle said. "We've got crews working around the clock, and we have snowdrifts that are up to 5 or 6 feet in some areas."
"We just had unusually heavy holiday traffic," said John Vial, Oregon Department of Transportation district manager. "The call made to shut it down wasn't made in time. Those are tough decisions. We are not going to get all of them right."
On the California side of the border, stranded motorists were on their way by 12:30 p.m. Monday, and that there were no injuries or accidents to report, said Sgt. Don Jordan of the California Highway Patrol.
The California stretch of the freeway was expected to open by evening, Jordan said.
The National Weather Service said as much as 2 feet of snow had fallen along Interstate 5, which was shut down from Redding, Calif., to Ashland.
Police dealt with dozens of minor accidents after vehicles spun out of control on the icy roads. Oregon State Police Lt. Kurt Barthel said a 57-year-old man died of a heart attack while he was trying to help other drivers put chains on their tires.
Families stuck on the highway were being urged to remain in their cars, and to use their cell phones only in case of emergency. Many of them had been stranded since Sunday.
Hope Peelle, of Puyallup, Wash., said she borrowed water from another driver to make formula for her 9-month-old daughter, and kept the bottle warm with her body heat. She and her husband, Victor Vega, were on their way home from visiting relatives in Ontario, Calif. The family filled up their digital camera with snow pictures, and turned the heater on intermittently to keep warm.
"I can tell you this: I'm flying next time," Vega said.
Trucker Dave Strong had been on the highway since Sunday evening.
"A car slid out in front of us, and stopped, and that was the end of that story," Strong said.
Sandra Palmer, manager of the Amerihost Inn in Yreka, Calif., said she had to walk a mile in 3 feet of snow to reach work before dawn Monday because she couldn't get her car out of her garage.
"It took me an hour and a half to get to work," she said. "It's horrible when you're walking in the snow."
Elsewhere in Oregon, Pendleton received about 6 inches of snow -- the most the city has seen in one single storm in nearly a decade. Portland got a dusting during the morning rush hour, causing traffic tie-ups across the metro area, but by early afternoon the sun was shining.
About 42,000 Portland General Electric GE customers were without power at the height of the outage and traffic was snarled after 6 inches of snow fell. 18,000 PGE customers were without power as of Monday evening.
Good luck, Salvation! LOL
|
Portland itself didn’t get much sticking snow, IIRC. Neither did Laramie (because it blew into Nebraska or someplace).
Laramie and Portland have something in common because the Columbia River gorge has some howling winds at times. It’ll get back to overcast/misting in a few days I’ll bet.
Nasty roads out there folks - stay safe.
Our snow events rarely last more than 3 days so "shutting down" isn't really a big deal.
I also live just outside Salem, and I have looked at the forecast for this area, and it looks like snow, off and on, for the next several days. Look here.
I took pictures today of the damage to my place. A huge limb (about 24") split off an oak tree and crashed on top of some of my out buildings, completely destroyed my greenhouse. 8^(
I grew up in the Chicago area and you're right they are scary.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
