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Freezing rain causes wrecks around state
Monday, January 17, 2005 | 2 comment(s)
PORTLAND (AP) - Police agencies in the Willamette Valley and the north Oregon Coast handled 118 accidents before dusk Saturday as freezing rain glazed streets and highways and sent cars spinning.
There were no reports of serious injuries, but highway officials reinstated the requirement that chains be used on state highways in the Portland area for the second time in the day.
Earlier Saturday, the main freeways through the metro area were closed in areas. Flights were delayed at Portland International Airport and weekend events were canceled across the metro area.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for through early Sunday as a moist warm front sent precipitation down through cold lower layers of air to spread sleet and freezing rain across roads and streets.
Travel across the two main bridges in Portland was limited to a crawl. The Fremont Bridge, carrying Interstate 405, was closed for more than two hours while most of the access ramps to the Marquam Bridge, carrying Interstate 5, were clogged with accidents, according to ODOT spokesman Dave Thompson.
State and city officials urged people to stay home if they could.
Thompson and police urged residents to stop calling the 911 emergency number for weather updates and instead call the separate 511 number that provides weather information.
He also recommended checking the ODOT Web site for updates on travel conditions: http://www.Trip-Check.com.
Portland General Electric said about 5,000 customers lost power, but that all but about 1,000 had been restored Saturday night.
Sanding truck crews were spreading out on the main roads along with de-icing equipment, Thompson said.
"Everybody's out right now. We've got 50 trucks on the road," Thompson said.
Flights at Portland International Airport were delayed or canceled, said Steve Johnson, Port of Portland aviation spokesman.
He said the storm had affected nearly all operations at the airport.
The Legacy Health System was operating under a storm management plan for nonessential staff and workers while several private universities canceled classes.
For Eastern Oregon, a winter storm warning was in effect from noon until 6 a.m. Sunday as forecasters predicted up to 5 inches of snow followed by sleet and freezing rain overnight across a wide area from Bend to Pendleton.
There were no reports of serious injuries, but highway officials reinstated the requirement that chains be used on state highways in the Portland area for the second time in the day.
Earlier Saturday, the main freeways through the metro area were closed in areas. Flights were delayed at Portland International Airport and weekend events were canceled across the metro area.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for through early Sunday as a moist warm front sent precipitation down through cold lower layers of air to spread sleet and freezing rain across roads and streets.
Travel across the two main bridges in Portland was limited to a crawl. The Fremont Bridge, carrying Interstate 405, was closed for more than two hours while most of the access ramps to the Marquam Bridge, carrying Interstate 5, were clogged with accidents, according to ODOT spokesman Dave Thompson.
State and city officials urged people to stay home if they could.
Thompson and police urged residents to stop calling the 911 emergency number for weather updates and instead call the separate 511 number that provides weather information.
He also recommended checking the ODOT Web site for updates on travel conditions: http://www.Trip-Check.com.
Portland General Electric said about 5,000 customers lost power, but that all but about 1,000 had been restored Saturday night.
Sanding truck crews were spreading out on the main roads along with de-icing equipment, Thompson said.
"Everybody's out right now. We've got 50 trucks on the road," Thompson said.
Flights at Portland International Airport were delayed or canceled, said Steve Johnson, Port of Portland aviation spokesman.
He said the storm had affected nearly all operations at the airport.
The Legacy Health System was operating under a storm management plan for nonessential staff and workers while several private universities canceled classes.
For Eastern Oregon, a winter storm warning was in effect from noon until 6 a.m. Sunday as forecasters predicted up to 5 inches of snow followed by sleet and freezing rain overnight across a wide area from Bend to Pendleton.
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