A winter storm covered the Pacific Northwest with ice and snow on Saturday, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power and disrupting travel across the region.
The freezing rain left roads, power lines and trees covered with ice in the Portland, Oregon area, and by Saturday morning more than 270,000 had lost power. Extreme conditions, loss of energy and transportation problems have prompted Oregon Governor Kate Brown to declare a state of emergency.
“Crews are at full strength now and are coordinating with local emergency response teams in communications for emergency services, such as heating centers,” said Brown. “I am committed to making state resources available to ensure that crews have the resources they need on the ground.”
Winter storms and extreme cold have affected much of the western United States, putting homeless communities at risk. Volunteers and shelter workers were trying to ensure that homeless residents in Casper, Wyoming, were inside, as the National Weather Service (NWS) warned of the thermal sensation reaching -35F (-37C). Officials in western Washington and western Oregon have opened warming shelters in an effort to protect homeless people from rain and cold.
Power cuts in the Portland area could extend over the weekend to some, said Elizabeth Lattanner, a spokeswoman for PGE, a major electricity supplier.
“In storms like these, the restoration takes time due to all the challenges that our teams face in reaching the restoration sites and repairing these outages,” said Lattanner. “We have over 600 PGE and contracted personnel responding to the storm – everything is ready to be used.”
Many ice-laden trees fell on the power lines and caused the transformers to explode in showers of blue and orange sparks. By midday, more than 1,200 PGE power lines were shut down, said Lattanner.
Ice and snow caused treacherous driving conditions, forcing Oregon officials to close Interstate 84 at the Columbia River Gorge, and the regional transit agency TriMet has suspended all bus and train services in the region. TriMet spokeswoman Aunt York asked people to avoid all travel unless it was an emergency.
Police in Salem, Oregon, warned residents of Marion and Polk counties to watch out for falling power lines and falling tree branches, and Oregon state police said that fallen trees blocked several roads in the region.
In Washington State, it snowed across the Seattle area on Saturday morning and a freezing rain fell along the coast in Grays Harbor County. The city of Seattle has activated its Emergency Operations Center.
Heavy snowfall led to dangerous driving conditions in parts of eastern Oregon and southwestern Idaho, with Malheur County, Oregon and Boise, Idaho expected to reach up to 6 inches.
The NWS said the three states must prepare for another winter humidity wave on Sunday night, potentially leading to more heavy snowfalls by Monday. The “unstable winter conditions” would likely continue throughout the week.
Western Washington was expected to get another possible 2in on Sunday and Monday. Rain falling on snow has increased the likelihood of urban flooding on Sunday or Monday night in some areas, according to the NWS.
Heavy snow has created dangerous conditions in many areas of the Olympic mountains and Cascades, with large avalanches possible. Payette Avalanche Center officials in midwest Idaho have also warned of the increased risk of avalanches.
Idaho’s eastern neighbors have been hit by extremely cold weather, with the NWS warning of dangerous chills in Montana and Wyoming. Cold winds were expected to reach -50F in Billings and near Missoula, Montana, and almost as low as in parts of Wyoming.
Such low chills can cause burns on exposed skin in minutes. The intense cold should last for the entire weekend. The NWS warned that the thermal sensation could be dangerous for pets and young animals, at a time when the calving season is beginning for many livestock farmers.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has warned of dangerous avalanche conditions in areas around Aspen, Steamboat and Flat Tops, Grand Mesa and Gunnison. Freezing temperatures with subzero lows were expected by Monday morning in Denver and the Colorado plains.