Freezing rain moves across Oregon: Conditions ‘rapidly changing’

Road conditions continued to deteriorate Saturday as a fierce winter storm moves across Oregon.

The Oregon Department of Transportation said conditions, which include whipping snow and freezing rain, “are rapidly changing everywhere,” said spokesperson Kacey Davey.

“The precipitation is here and it’s coming down in many different forms,” she said in a noon update.

She said the southern portion of the Willamette Valley is seeing freezing rain, sleet and ice accumulation.

“We’re seeing a lot of trees start to come down and power lines start to come down,” she said.

Davey pointed to a half-dozen collisions in the past 24 hours involving plows and sanders and pleaded with motorists to exercise care.

Staff monitoring the state’s cameras posted along highways report multiple instances of reckless driving, she said.

“Never pass a snowplow on the right,” she said. “That’s where the blade throws all of the snow and ice and anything else that scrapes off the road.”

She said many trucks also have a wing plow that’s difficult to see in poor conditions.

“Please slow down and give our crews extra space,” she urged.

She pointed out other trouble spots statewide:

Columbia River Gorge: Strong gusts, frigid temperatures and patches of ice have made travel treacherous, she said. She said visibility “is poor and continuing to get worse. “

Oregon Coast: She pointed to multiple reports of downed trees along the central and northern coast. U.S. 101 is closed south of Seaside due to snow and ice. “Vehicles were sliding off the road,” she said. Crews have reopened U.S. 101 on the Astoria-Megler Bridge and Youngs Bay Bridge in Astoria after closures midday.

Southern Oregon: Crews are deicing and sanding Interstate 5, but the highway remains perilous, she said. She said the highway between Ashland and California “is experiencing heavy snow.”

Chains are required on all vehicles except for four-wheel or all-wheel drive.

“These are staffed closure points so you will not be able to pass in those areas without chains on,” she said.

She said state transportation crews reported Enterprise saw the lowest temperatures in the state overnight with a chilling -30 degrees.

The agency’s TripCheck site has seen 3,000 views per minute, she said.

— Noelle Crombie; ncrombie@oregonian.com; 503-276-7184; @noellecrombie

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