lauramcewan:

Portland snowfall breaking 40-year record

10:19 AM PST on Monday, December 22, 2008

By kgw.com and AP Staff

PORTLAND, Ore. -- More snow continues to fall in the Portland and Vancouver Metro areas Monday, paralyzing the cities, closing down the Gorge, and keeping travelers stuck at the airport and Amtrak station. Monday's high was only expected to reach 30 degrees.

KGW Meteorologist Dave Salesky said that three to five inches of fresh snow could fall in the valleys Monday, with even more in the higher elevations. But he expected the snow to stop by late afternoon and Tuesday would provide a break before the next storm moves in.

Even city sanding and de-icing trucks were having trouble because their equipment was icing over with temperatures well below freezing and winds also blowing snow, creating huge snow drifts. Also, at least four Tri-Met buses got stuck in deep snow Monday morning.

"It is amazing," said Dave Thompson, spokesman for the Oregon Department of Transportation. "You say to yourself: 'That's Portland?' The roads are snowpacked, covered with ice and it's freezing rain."

Most of Portland's transportation arteries were in poor condition Monday, and a city spokeswoman warned residents not to expect much change. "What we see on our streets today we are likely to see on Christmas Day," said Cheryl Kuck of the department of transportation.

"Salem will see freezing rain and snow Monday, Portland's valleys will get snow, some of the southern sections of the metro area may see freezing rain and then in Corvallis and Eugene, it's just rain," Salesky said. "Winds are still coming out of the east into Portland bringing the arctic chill, but as of Monday morning, the wind speeds in Portland had dropped to nine miles an hour."

The Oregon Department of Transportation closed Interstate 84 between Troutdale and Hood River over the weekend and dozens of cancelled flights and trains were stranding holiday travelers at PDX, Union Station and the Greyhound bus depot.

The electric utility PGE said about 55,000 of its customers were without power as of 8 a.m. It said about 25,000 were in the Salem area, and there were concentrations of outages in west Portland, Beaverton and Gresham.

KGW Chief Meteorologist Matt Zaffino said the metro area hadn't accumulated this much snow in the month of December since 1968. As of Monday morning, 14 inches had accumulated in Portland, a record for this month. The all-time record in December is 18 inches.

Chains were required for all vehicles in Portland and the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office was urging drivers not to venture out onto the roads unless they absolutely had to, or were providing essential services. There were many reports of cars and trucks stuck in snow drifts. "It is extremely dangerous to be on the roads at this time," said Deputy Paul McRedmond, sheriff's spokesman.

The Portland airport was filled with sleeping passengers stranded when their flights were cancelled Saturday and Sunday. Authorities said they hoped to resume many flights Monday afternoon.

TriMet officials said all their buses were equipped with chains and MAX trains could be slowed if ice develops on the overhead lines due to freezing rain. They kept the MAX trains running all night to try and prevent freezing on the overhead lines and five specialized ice-cutter trains were also operating. However some of the switches were freezing up on the east side MAX lines. Anyone interested in using TriMet was urged to check the Web site for updates.

Amtrak also cancelled most of its train service in and out of Portland. Many passengers were forced to wait overnight in the Union Station, without food service or extra provisions. Train service was changing through out the day, so officials were encouraging passengers to check the Amtrak Web site for the latest updates.

Downtown Portland was nearly deserted as businesses closed early all across the area and traffic was crawling along. "The main problem right now is the steady snow and gusting winds," said Tim Heider, spokesman for Clackamas County, which stretches from the southern suburbs to Mount Hood.

The effects of the storm are expected to linger, both on roadways and in the spreadsheets of retailers already struggling with a recession. "This is the worst Christmas I have ever seen in 33 years," said Kim Osgood, who owns Paloma Clothing in the Hillsdale Shopping Center in southwest Portland. The good news here is for shoppers. If they can get out, they'll get amazing bargains." She served hot chocolate on Sunday and gave away $24 crampons -- foot gear for ice and snow climbs -- to anyone spending $50 in her store.

Meantime, the storm was even worse at the Oregon Coast, to the west, and the Cascades to the east. Chains were required for all travel along the Oregon Coast and near Banks and semi-trucks lined the highway as drivers chained up.

For those who didn't need to drive, the weekend timing of the snow meant a rare opportunity to enjoy a Winter Wonderland in the Rose City.