A biker navigates the slushy streets in Northeast Portland, Feb. 16, 2021. The metro area continues to dig out following the weekendÕs snow and ice storms.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
A downed branch in Southeast Portland Woodstock neighborhood, Feb. 16, 2021.
Michael Bendixen / OPB
PGE contractors from DJÕs Electrical in Portland repair a transformer box on a power pole on SE Madison St. near SE 17th Ave. in Portland, Feb. 16, 2021
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
A large tree limb is tangled in a power line, lying across SE Ash St. near SE 20th Ave., Feb. 16, 2021. The metro area continues to dig out following the weekendÕs snow and ice storms.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
PGE contractors from DJ's Electrical in Portland repair a transformer box on a power pole on Southeast Madison Street near Southeast 17th Avenue in Portland, Feb. 16, 2021.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
PGE crews wait near a downed line at SE 109th Ave. near SE Mitchell St., Feb. 16, 2021. The metro area continues to dig out following the weekendÕs snow and ice storms.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
A Southwest Portland resident works to remove limbs from a large oak in front of his home in Southwest Portland, Feb. 13, 2021. Tens of thousands of people remained without power in the Pacific Northwest after a winter storm blanketed the region with ice and snow and made travel treacherous.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Tree damage in Southeast Portland on Monday.
Michael Bendixen / OPB
A man (no name given) shovels the walks on NE 21st Ave., near Wasco St. in Portland, Feb. 16, 2021. The metro area continues to dig out following the weekendÕs snow and ice storms.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Residents in Southeast Portland Woodstock neighborhood assess the damage as a broken line stretches across the street, Feb. 16, 2021.
Michael Bendixen / OPB
Large tree fell in Eastmoreland in Portland on Monday.
Michael Bendixen / OPB
Large tree fell in Eastmoreland in Portland on Monday.
Michael Bendixen / OPB
A large tree blocks Bybee Road which connects Eastmoreland and Sellwood in Portland on Monday. Nearly every block in Woodstock and Eastmoreland has tree limbs and power lines down as thousands remained without power.
Michael Bendixen / OPB
Nearly every block in Woodstock and Eastmoreland in Portland has tree limbs and power lines down as thousands remained without power on Monday.
Michael Bendixen
Nearly every block in Woodstock and Eastmoreland in Portland has tree limbs and power lines down as thousands remained without power on Monday.
Michael Bendixen / OPB
Lower Macleay Park still featured a snowy trail along Balch Creek on Monday.
Beth Hyams
Ice melts from tree branches in Southeast Portland, Feb. 16, 2021.
Michael Bendixen / OPB
Ice melts from tree branches in Southeast Portland, Feb. 16, 2021.
Michael Bendixen / OPB
Ice melts from tree branches in Southeast Portland, Feb. 16, 2021.
Michael Bendixen / OPB
Balch Creek is full and muddy on Monday after the snow and ice storm.
Beth Hyams
Kurt Nistler shovels his driveway in Southwest Portland, Feb. 13, 2021.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Snow covered homes near Rock Creek Trail in Hillsboro, Feb. 13, 2021.
Liz Duncan / OPB
Dan Forester takes his cross country skis to the roadway, in Southwest Portland, Feb. 13, 2021.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Katie Brown, ambushes her brother Sam with a shovel of snow in Beaverton, Feb 13, 2021.
Nora Ames / OPB
Daisy, 13, doesn't look like she's thrilled by her sleigh ride, as she is towed by her owner Christy McCardle, in Southwest Portland, Feb. 13, 2021.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
A hummingbird heads towards a feeder in Southwest Portland, Feb. 13, 2021. Hummingbirds can endure cold snaps as long as they have fresh, and unfrozen food available.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
A duck snow sculpture is left atop a mailbox in Southwest Portland, Feb. 13, 2021.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Piknik Park food cart pod in Sellwood, Feb 13, 2021.
Rachel Snow / OPB
Freezing rain encapsulates a camellia bloom in SE Portland, Feb 13, 2021.
Michael Bendixen / OPB
Trees snapped under the weight of ice and snow and gusting winds in West Linn, near Salamo Rd. at Cascade Summit, Feb 13, 2021.
Jan Boyd / OPB
Trees snapped under the weight of ice and snow and gusting winds in West Linn, near Salamo Rd. at Cascade Summit, Feb 13, 2021.
Jan Boyd / OPB
A downed tree in the Alameda neighborhood at NE 23rd Ave. and NE Ridgewood Dr. in Northeast Portland, February 15, 2021.
Jeff Mapes / OPB
A snowplow clears eastbound Rosa Parks Way towards Vancouver Blvd., Portland, Feb 13, 2021. Snow and ice from the recent storm has made for hazardous driving conditions in the Portland metro area.
Ann Suckow / OPB
An eyeless snowman in Beaverton, Feb 13, 2021.
Nora Ames / OPB
A trio pushes a car spinning out near the Sunset Transit Center in Portland, Feb. 12, 2021. The National Weather Service announced one inch of snowfall at its Portland office as of early Friday morning. Accumulation totals vary across the region.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Terry Waitrovich, left, and his wife Mary Faupel use hiking poles for balance as the walk along Barnes Rd. in Portland, Feb. 12, 2021. The pair hiked to their COVID-19 vaccination appointment instead of driving in the snow.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Door Dash driver Nalik Jackson of Portland struggles to put on snow chains in Beaverton, Feb. 12, 2021, so he can complete a food delivery. The National Weather Service announced one inch of snowfall at its Portland office as of early Friday morning.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
A pedestrian braces against the wind and snow as they walk along Barnes Rd. in Portland, Feb. 12, 2021. The National Weather Service announced one inch of snowfall at its Portland office as of early Friday morning. Accumulation totals vary across the region.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
A jogger runs through the snow across the Burnside Bridge in Portland, Feb. 12, 2021.
Conrad Wilson / OPB
Kurt Spies pushes his son seven-month-old son Luke along a path in Portland, Feb. 12, 2021. Portlanders got the dusting of snow they were promised from a series of Pacific storms. The National Weather Service announced one inch of snowfall at its Portland office as of early Friday morning. Accumulation totals vary across the region.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Downtown Portland in a dusting of snow, Feb. 12, 2021.
Conrad Wilson / OPB
Odin, 1, an American Akita, bounces in the fresh snowfall near Prineville, which has received several inches of snow in the past 24 hours.
Erik Corrington / OPB
A person walks to their car in the Mountain View neighborhood of Bend, Ore., Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, after a day's snowfall.
Bradley W. Parks / OPB
A person hikes up Pilot Butte in Bend, Ore., Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, after a day's snowfall.
Bradley W. Parks / OPB
The corner of N. Mississippi Ave and N. Failing St., looking north in Portland, Feb. 12, 2021. The National Weather Service announced one inch of snowfall at its Portland office as of early Friday morning. Accumulation totals vary across the region.
Monica Samayoa / OPB
Black bamboo stalks along Johnson Creek are coated in ice in Milwaukie, Feb 12, 2021. The National Weather Service announced one inch of snowfall at its Portland office as of early Friday morning. Accumulation totals vary across the region.
Jule Gilfillan / OPB
A view of the I-5 looking northbound in Portland, Feb. 12, 2021. The National Weather Service announced one inch of snowfall at its Portland office as of early Friday morning. Accumulation totals vary across the region.
Monica Samayoa / OPB
Looking through an iced over window in Milwaukie, Feb 12, 2021. The National Weather Service said the next storm will arrive Friday night and bring a high possibility of significant freezing rain in the Coast Range, Willapa Hills, the Central Willamette Valley and perhaps across the southern Portland metro.
Jule Gilfillan / OPB
Apples remaining on a tree are covered in ice and snow, in Milwaukie, Feb 12, 2021. The National Weather Service announced one inch of snowfall at its Portland office as of early Friday morning. Accumulation totals vary across the region.
Jule Gilfillan / OPB
Sledding at Overlook Park in Portland, Feb. 12, 2021. The National Weather Service announced one inch of snowfall at its Portland office as of early Friday morning. Accumulation totals vary across the region.
Monica Samayoa / OPB
A person wearing a unicorn onesie walks west on Rosa Parks Way over I-5 in Portland, Feb 12, 2021. The National Weather Service said the next storm will arrive Friday night and bring a high possibility of significant freezing rain in the Coast Range, Willapa Hills, the Central Willamette Valley and perhaps across the southern Portland metro.
Ann Suckow / OPB
A porch table serves as an unofficial snow measurement in Southeast Portland, Feb 12, 2021. The National Weather Service said the next storm will arrive Friday night and bring a high possibility of significant freezing rain in the Coast Range, Willapa Hills, the Central Willamette Valley and perhaps across the southern Portland metro.
Elizabeth Miller / OPB
A person wearing a unicorn onesie walks west on Rosa Parks Way over I-5 in Portland, Feb 12, 2021. The National Weather Service said the next storm will arrive Friday night and bring a high possibility of significant freezing rain in the Coast Range, Willapa Hills, the Central Willamette Valley and perhaps across the southern Portland metro.
Ann Suckow / OPB
A large tree snapped, taking out some power lines at NE 50th Ave and NE Alameda St. in Portland, Feb 13, 2021.
Rebecca Morris / OPB
A fashionable snowman, in Hillsboro, Feb. 13, 2021.
Liz Duncan / OPB
Children playing on a snow covered Northeast 18th Ave. in Portland, Feb. 13, 2021.
Rob Manning / OPB
Sledders at Clinton City Park near Franklin High School, Feb. 13, 2021.
Eric Slade / OPB
A downed tree in the Alameda neighborhood at NE 23rd Ave. and NE Ridgewood Dr. in Northeast Portland, February 15, 2021.
Jeff Mapes / OPB
In this photo supplied by Portland General Electric, a lineman works on a pole in Beaverton, Feb. 13, 2021.
Courtesy of Portland General Electric
In this photo supplied by Portland General Electric, a line crew works to get the power back on in Beaverton, Feb. 13, 2021.
Courtesy of Portland General Electric
In this photo supplied by Portland General Electric, power lines lie on the ground in Beaverton, Feb. 13, 2021.
Courtesy of Portland General Electric
Tens of thousands of people remained without power in the Pacific Northwest after a winter storm blanketed the region with ice and snow and made travel treacherous.
The storm has left as much as a foot of snow in the northern Willamette Valley and Southwest Washington.
Andy Bryant, with the National Weather Service, said Portland tied a record for single-day snowfall in February: “This will definitely be one remembered in the years to come.”
Freezing rain and ice had the biggest impact. About an inch of ice accumulated in the central Willamette Valley, bringing down trees in the Salem area.
Bryant said temperatures in the Willamette Valley and the Gorge should rise above freezing by Monday evening. “So it kind of becomes this battle between this low-level cold air that’s coming into the Portland area through the Gorge and this overall much warmer air mass that’s moving in through the west,” Bryant said.
Forecasters expect to see more normal weather patterns return later in the week.
An ice storm warning was in effect in the Willamette Valley Sunday afternoon. The National Weather Service has that warning in place until 6 a.m. Monday. Forecasters said Sunday could bring another 2 inches of snow, and a quarter inch of ice. Overnight, another half inch of ice could form. Conditions remain extremely dangerous, and residents are advised to stay home unless absolutely necessary.
Portland General Electric said Sunday that about 189,000 customers remain without service on Sunday morning. At peak, about 253,000 PGE customers were affected Saturday. At least 4,000 PGE power lines have been brought down by ice and tree limbs, and multiple transmission lines have been severely damaged, the utility said.
The power outages in the Portland region could extend throughout the weekend for some, said Elizabeth Lattanner, a spokeswoman for PGE.
“In storms like these, restoration takes time given all of the challenges our crews face in getting to restoration sites and repairing those outages,” Lattanner said on Saturday. “We have more than 600 PGE and contract personnel responding to the storm — it’s all hands on deck.”
Happy Chilly Valentine's Day! Temperatures in central Willamette Vly and south PDX metro will rise above freezing today. Most of PDX metro, inland SW WA, Gorge, and Hood River Vly will stay below freezing, with freezing rain and snow on tap for today. #orwx#wawx#pdxtstpic.twitter.com/z4Nw000aVl
The extreme conditions, loss of power and transportation problems prompted Oregon Gov. Kate Brown to declare a state of emergency for the greater Portland area Saturday afternoon.
“Crews are out in full force now and are coordinating with local emergency response teams on communications for emergency services, such as warming centers,” Brown said in a statement. “I’m committed to making state resources available to ensure crews have the resources they need on the ground.”
Winter storms and extreme cold affected much of the U.S. West, particularly endangering homeless communities. Volunteers and shelter staffers were trying to ensure homeless residents in Casper, Wyoming, were indoors as the National Weather Service warned of wind chill reaching as much as 35 degrees below zero over the weekend. Authorities in western Washington and western Oregon opened warming shelters in an effort to protect homeless residents from the wet and cold.
The ice and snowfall caused treacherous driving conditions, forcing the regional transit agency TriMet to suspend all bus and train service in the region at one point Saturday. A note on their website Sunday morning says that “bus, MAS and LIFT service is limited. ... Portland Streetcar service is suspended.” Check their alerts webpage for the latest.
Eastbound lanes of Interstate 84 are again open between Troutdale at exit 17 and Hood River at exit 62. ODOT closed that 45 miles of highway at 9 p.m. Friday because of blowing snow, icy roads and strong winds. Crews worked through the night Saturday night using plows, graders and snow blowers and the road can safely open again.
Portland International Airport was reporting dozens of canceled flights Sunday afternoon. Check here for the full list.
Police in Salem, Oregon, also warned residents in Marion and Polk counties to watch for downed power lines and falling tree limbs, and the Oregon State Police said fallen trees blocked several roads across the region.
Resources
Stay warm: 211info.org maintains an updated list of warming shelters across Oregon, including hours of operation and eligibility.
Prepare before you travel: ODOT also provides a helpful list of tips to keep in mind before setting out for winter travel.
Check your list: The Washington State Department of Transportation has some helpful checklists for winter driving, including what to carry in your car.
Some Washington residents were also socked in by the weather, with snow falling throughout the Seattle region Saturday and freezing rain falling along the coast in Grays Harbor County.
The Washington State Patrol reported a large accident on Interstate 90 east of Seattle involving 15 collisions. Three vehicles rolled over, but apparently there were no serious injuries.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Sunday morning said that the airport was open and operating. There have been a number of cancellations, however, so flyers are encouraged to check with their airlines before heading to the airport.
Heavy snowfall also led to dangerous driving conditions in parts of eastern Oregon and southwestern Idaho, with Malheur County, Oregon, and Boise, Idaho, expected to get as much as 6 inches of snow by Saturday afternoon.
The National Weather Service said all three states should brace for another surge of winter moisture to hit Sunday night, potentially leading to more heavy snowfall through Monday. The “unsettled winter conditions” would likely continue throughout the week, the National Weather Service said Saturday morning.
The heavy snow made for dangerous avalanche conditions in the many areas across the Olympics and Cascades mountain ranges, with large avalanches possible. Officials with the Payette Avalanche Center in west-central Idaho also warned of increasing avalanche risk in the days ahead.
Idaho’s neighbors to the east were blasted by brutally frigid weather, with the National Weather Service warning of dangerous wind chills in Montana and Wyoming. The wind chills were expected to reach as low as 50 degrees below zero in Billings, Montana.