Though many Oregon roads have reopened after snowfall Tuesday, people should still be cautious of delays if traveling in certain parts of the state for the Thanksgiving holiday.
I-5 SB at #Ashland: OPEN. Chains required for all vehicles except 4x4s, unless towing. Expect slow traffic & congestion until the back-up clears. Expect winter driving conditions. @CaltransD2 reports I-5 NB still closed north of #Redding. #winterready
— OregonDOT (@OregonDOT) November 27, 2019
Interstate 5 southbound at Ashland reopened Wednesday morning after heavy snow fell Tuesday at Siskiyou Summit and in Northern California — specifically between Yreka and the Mount Shasta area, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.
A trucker chains up on a snow-covered road on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019.
Oregon Department of Transportation
The California Department of Transportation said via social media Wednesday morning that both northbound and southbound I-5 remained closed between Yreka and Redding due to an “extremely large number of vehicles spun out along the interstate” and that there is no estimated time for reopening the freeway.
“The focus is going to be on Northern California,” said Mike Petrucelli with Medford’s National Weather Service. Southern Oregon may continue seeing some snow Wednesday, but it should be waning off.
“We’ll still have snow continuing on through the day, but it’s not going to be really significant. It’s going to be on the light side, kind of showery,” he said. “We’ll gradually see improving conditions on Wednesday.”
Some Southwest Oregon roads have reopened after closing Tuesday night. Highways 138 East (near Roseburg), 62 (near Medford) and 230 (near Diamond Lake) have all reopened. Though, ODOT cautions people to still be prepared for winter weather travel. Chains are required on all those routes.
On the valley floor, areas around Eugene and Medford may have seen a dusting of snow, but no real accumulation. The Portland metro area and farther north did not see any snow.