SEATTLE — A thaw is coming for frozen Seattle and Portland, Oregon, but not before another round of snow that could exacerbate problems for a region accustomed to winter rains more than Arctic blasts.
More snow and rain lashed California on Wednesday, disrupting mountain trails and increasing the risk of debris flowing through wildfire burn scars.
And in Nevada, the governor plans to declare a state of emergency due to snow and storm conditions affecting travel in the Lake Tahoe region of northern Nevada.
Forecasters say parts of western Washington could see up to 3 inches of snow on Thursday and a similar amount could be seen in northwestern Oregon.
The normally temperate part of the Pacific Northwest shook with single-digit temperatures in some areas this week after extremely cold air swept through Canada’s Fraser River Valley on Sunday.
Snow and ice have made travel treacherous in some parts, forcing closures and delays in travel and prompting people to seek refuge in emergency warming centres.
weather and pandemic It has forced the cancellation of nearly 1,300 flights in and out of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport since Sunday. The situation has worsened in Alaska, where hundreds of travelers, many of them from coastal villages, are stranded in the city of Bethel due to bad weather and poorly equipped airports.
Temperatures could rise above freezing in Seattle on Thursday and even warmer in Portland, before winds blow from the Pacific over the weekend and the mercury soars to more seasonal highs in the 40s.
State officials have declared a state of emergency in Oregon. In Multnomah County – home to Portland – about a half-dozen weather shelters were open this week. A similar number of shelters were opened in Seattle’s King County, which also declared a state of emergency.
Seattle’s leaders said the city’s shelters would remain open until the new year.
The return of winter weather and traffic to pre-pandemic levels has resulted in hundreds of accidents on Oregon’s roads this holiday season.
Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that 915 traffic accidents occurred in the state between December 23 and December 28. According to the Oregon State Police, there were 365 accidents in 2019 and 237 in 2019 during the same period last year. The death toll has not yet been estimated.
David House, a spokesman for the Oregon Department of Transportation, said the high number of accidents over the past week reminds travelers to exercise caution and be prepared for difficult situations.
“If you can sit tight for a few more days, then avoid getting out there, that would probably be the safest thing to do,” House said.
In Nevada, a statement issued by Governor Steve Sisolak’s office said the emergency declaration would allow state officials to order vehicles traveling on mountain highways to turn around and return to low altitudes as long as weather conditions subside. and the roadway may not be safe for use.
“This will help prevent motorists from being stranded overnight on roadways, potentially running out of gas to subfreezing temperatures without access to emergency services,” the statement said.
It said US 50 and State Routes 207 and 28 were experiencing long delays and dangerous conditions and that officials should be able to clear roadways to make room for emergency vehicles and snow plows.
Caltrans said Snow was operating round-the-clock and urged people to avoid all but essential travel in the Sierras.
Amid staggering snowfall in the Sierra, Northstar Resort in Lake Tahoe reported 135 inches since December 21.