Snow showers and temperatures around freezing combined to slicken roads across Central Oregon Friday night, after a strong, blustery cold front pushed through region, bringing varying amounts of snow and gusty winds as well.
The National Weather Service dropped a snow advisory for the region Friday afternoon as snow showers began to taper off. Forecasters had predicted that 3-5 inches could accumulate, primarily south of Bend, and said west winds gusting to 40 mph would create some blowing and drifting snow.
Snow fell steadily at Mt. Bachelor as throngs flocked to the slopes Friday for the 14th annual “Free Ski Day,” exchanging food for free lift tickets and helping the “Feed the Need” program operated by the Central Oregon Community Action Agency Network (COCAAN).
Nine inches of new snow since daybreak brought plenty fresh powder Friday, but strong winds and cold temperatures of 16-20 degrees made it less than enjoyable for some, despite a base of 131 to 136 inches. Over at Hoodoo Ski Area, near Santiam Pass, a half-foot of new snow pushed the base to 76 inches heading into the weekend.
Officially, Bend had an inch of snow by Friday morning, the second bout of measurable snow this week. A Deschutes County 911 dispatcher reported “a lot of little accidents” during the morning commute, but none that caused injuries.
Oregon State Police Sgt. Eric Brown said triioers were kept busy Friday with wrecks both on Santiam Pass and Century Drive, where vehicles on the way to or from Bachelor’s free day had rollovers, fender-benders or slid off the road, some due to bad passes.
Winds gusted above 50 mph in both Bend and Redmond overnight, while they tore the roof off of a greenwood in the small east Jefferson County town of Ashwood.
Things turned worse as darkness fell Friday, with Highway 97 reported to be extremely slick over Lava Butte, south of Bend. A crash occurred on the Bend Parkway near the Reed Market Road exit, a reported rollover on Powell Butte Highway near the Deschutes-Crook county line, and another crash blocking traffic on Highway 26 over Mount Hood for a time. Later there was an injury crash on Third Street at Brosterhous Road.
Another winter storm warning was in place for the Cascades, with another 6-12 inches of snow expected.
Much of the rest of the state was dealing with a different problem – flooding, as warmer temperatures ahead of the storm melted snow and sent some streams over their banks. Flood warnings were issued, especially for coastal streams, and high winds knocked out power for thousands of Portland-area residents. Madras actually tied a record high for Jan. 29 on Thursday, reaching 58 degrees.
Locally, forecasters said a varying chance of snow showers (or rain at times) would linger through the weekend and throughout the coming week.
