The Portland area began to see snow, sleet and icy temperatures on Thursday – and Mother Nature has just begun.
A winter storm warning for the Portland area remains in effect until Friday afternoon, warning residents of an avalanche of winter precipitation, strong winds and ice. And the National Weather Service said things could get even more serious, with the possibility of a “significant ice storm” between Portland and Salem starting Friday afternoon and beginning the weekend.
Many areas had already had icy conditions on Thursday, with several accidents closing roads and delaying travel through the Portland area. A stretch of Northwest Germantown Road in the West Hills is closed indefinitelyfor example due to icy conditions and stationary cars.
Transport officials warned about road closures, and law enforcement agencies encouraged people not to drive if they did not have to.
Precipitation is expected to increase on Friday and Saturday. But whether the Portland area will get freezing rain, snow or a combination of the two remains to be seen.
The weather service said it was very likely that the area would snow between one and four inches, and then up to a quarter of an inch of freezing rain. But the city could see more freezing rain – and less snow.
The weather service also predicted that strong winds would blow through the area in the coming days, with wind speeds of 15 to 25 km / h and gusts up to 40 km / h.
The agency predicts that the temperature in Portland will reach 31 degrees on Friday. The highs are expected to be above freezing over the weekend, but overnight temperatures are expected to drop into the mid-20s by Saturday.
Snowfall is expected to continue over the weekend, and the weather service will expect between one and four inches of snow in Portland on Saturday.
Transportation officials in Portland listed four road closures on Thursday night: Germantown Road; Northeast 33rd Avenue at Sandy Boulevard; Northeast Halsey Street from 80 to 84 lanes; and Southwest Capitol Highway from Volunteer to Barbur Boulevards.
TriMet said Thursday night that some of its bus routes will be detoured due to the weather. According to the transport agency, MAX trains were not obstructed by the weather, but on some routes trains use ice cutters.
Meanwhile, more than 4,000 Portland General Electric customers were without power at 8 p.m.
On Thursday, the weather in the Columbia River Gorge collapsed.
The Sheriff of Multnomah County reported several accidents, poor visibility and dangerous road conditions on Interstate 84 in the gorge. Towing companies, according to the agency, are likely to take more than three hours to reach disabled vehicles.
A rare snowstorm warning for the western part of the gorge also remains in effect until Friday afternoon.
-Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; [email protected]; @JRamakrishnanOR