Snowstorm Slams Portland Area

By Ryan Haas (OPB)
Jan. 10, 2017 10:15 p.m.

Snow covers the fields and the cows on Katherine Cory's farm in Troutdale on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017.

Sun sets over the Willamette River in Portland on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017, after a brutal snowstorm earlier in the week.

With Clackamas County schools closed for snow, students took the opportunity to enjoy the winter wonderland, Jan. 11, 2017.

View from the Sellwood Bridge, Jan. 11, 2017.

PGE worked through the morning and early afternoon to restore power to thousands of Clackamas County residents, Jan. 11, 2017.

The winter storm transformed some of Portland's streets into slippery, snowy gridlock.

Southwest Portland

The Oregon Zoo is closed due to the amount snow. Apparently the cheetahs didn't get the notice.

A view from downtown Portland.

Khalleeah Sparks (right) pulls her god daughter, Mylai, in a makeshift sled with Glynnis Woods on their way to the grocery store.

An park turns into a winter playground during Oregon's snowstorm.

Sami Christensen (left) and Maddee Rubenson made their way down Northeast Dekum Street in Portland in skis on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017.

Jeff Brugato, with Pacific Coast Fruit Company, was making deliveries in Portland. He said many restaurants are either closed or opening late, and the roads have become more slippery throughout the day.

Raking snow off the roof in Bend.

In Ontario, Oregon, Rob Haun helps plow a path to his business.

Sam Piva (in the navy bill cap with gold letters) drove his Honda S2000 up from Eugene Tuesday night, encountering little trouble on I-5 or I-205, and was a half block from his home when it got stuck in the snow-filled streets at the western base of Rocky Butte around 10:30 p.m. On Wednesday morning, carpenter Tracy Terry pitched in and tried to pull Piva's car out of the drift by hooking it to his truck but they couldn't dig it free and had to abandon it. Piva is a recent University of Oregon graduate who just started work as a graphic designer at the Hive agency on the inner East Side.

Portland's downtown park blocks transformed by the snow.

Snow surrounds the Willamette in Portland.

A street in the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood of Portland.

Bikes locked up under inches of packed snow in Portland.

Stuart Drive is a popular sledding spot on Alameda Ridge in Portland.

PGE worked through the morning and early afternoon to restore power to thousands of Clackamas County residents, Jan. 11, 2017.

Snow removal trucks drive down Highway 99 in Milwaukie carrying buckets full of snow, Jan. 11, 2017.

Safety tape marks off a downed power line in SE Portland, Jan. 11, 2017.

Children take to the hills of Sabin during another snow day for Portland Public Schools, Jan. 11, 2017.

A large tree limb fell on the steps of the Central Library in downtown Portland, Jan. 11, 2017.

TriMet works to fix a line in downtown Portland, Jan. 11, 2017.

The snow piles high in Bend where a man shovels his driveway.

Oregon State Police warns travelers that a traditionally busy section of Interstate 5 was "a parking lot."

A view of a snowy morning in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

Reporter Jeff Mapes measures the snow gathered on his deck railing in Southeast Portland.

A scene from a neighborhood in Gresham, Oregon.

"Happy car. Happy Valley (Oregon)."

Snowfall at the Portland International Airport.

Walker Road in Portland.

Willow McCormick celebrates the snowstorm.

A scene from a snowed in Northwest Portland

A calm in the storm in Oak Grove, Oregon.

The snowfalls on Tilikum Crossing.

Snow continues to pile up on a trail along the Willamette River.

Snow covers the fields and the cows on Katherine Cory's farm in Troutdale on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017.

The heavy snowfall left some side streets closed in Portland.

The snow did not keep people from getting their coffee in Northeast Portland on Wednesday morning.

People roll a giant snowball across Southeast 13th Avenue in Portland's Sellwood neighborhood on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017.

Cars drive through the intersection of Southeast 13th and Tacoma in Portland's Sellwood neighborhood during a snow storm on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017.

Snow covers the sign for Thai Lahna restaurant on Southeast 13th Avenue in Portland's Sellwood neighborhood during a storm on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017.

A bicyclist pulls into a New Seasons grocery store on Tacoma Street in Portland's Sellwood neighborhood during a snow storm on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017.

A car drives north on Tacoma Street in Portland's Sellwood neighborhood during a snow storm on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017.

Snow pummeled the Portland area on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017.

Snow blanketed Portland streets, such as this one in the northeast part of the city, on Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2017.

People wait for an Orange Line MAX train at the Southeast Bybee Boulevard station in Portland's Sellwood neighborhood during a snow storm on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017.

An Orange Line MAX train departs the Southeast Bybee Boulevard station toward Milwaukie in Portland's Sellwood neighborhood during a snow storm on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017.

A bicyclist heads north on Milwaukie Avenue in Portland's Sellwood neighborhood during a snow storm on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017.

A fallen tree blocks the intersection of Lambert Street and Milwaukie Avenue in Portland's Sellwood neighborhood during a snow storm on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017.

Many parts of Portland saw several inches of snowfall Tuesday night into Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017, leaving side streets like Lambert Street in Portland's Sellwood neighborhood covered.

Fairlane Coffee was one of few businesses open Wednesday morning in Portland's Sellwood neighborhood during a snow storm on Jan. 11, 2017.

A man shovels the walk outside Northwest Primary Care on Milwaukie Avenue in Portland's Sellwood neighborhood during a snow storm on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017.

A weather system that moved over western Oregon on Tuesday evening dumped several inches of snow quickly, once again gumming up Portland roadways.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:

Snow started falling in the Portland area in the late afternoon and by 9:30 p.m. had accumulated to nearly 5 inches in some parts of the city.

Many drivers who attempted to travel in the damp, quickly falling snow found themselves stuck. Major roadways, such as Highway 26, Interstate 405, Interstate 5 and Interstate 84, had heavy delays well into the night.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:

The Oregon Department of Transportation closed Interstate 84 from Troutdale to Hood River overnight Tuesday because of weather conditions.

A similarly fast-moving storm caught Portland off guard in December and led to hundreds of abandoned vehicles on the city's roadways, and prompted ODOT to begin using rock salt on some roadways.

The National Weather Service forecast the metro area to get up to 6 inches of snow and issued a winter storm warning through 1 p.m. Wednesday, although some Portland area residents tweeted they had received as much as 10 inches by 10 p.m.

The weather service cautioned drivers that slick road conditions could last well into the Wednesday morning commute.

Many area school districts have also canceled classes and activities Wednesday.

Portland wasn't alone in dealing with large amounts of snow, however. Hood River County was forecast to receive 10–15 inches of snow through Wednesday, and Central Oregon braced for another storm in what has been a particularly challenging winter there.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:
THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR: