Wind, rain move in as surprise snow melts

PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland metro area commuters woke up early Wednesday to snow on neighborhood streets, likely prompting visions of what was a nightmare commute home Tuesday evening.

However, KATU Meteorologist Rhonda Shelby says temperatures in the 40s and melting snow will be the order of the day, followed by rain Thursday and Friday that should wipe away the blanket of white.

Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service issued a new Winter Storm Warning for the incoming weather. While no snow is forecast for lower elevations, some mountain locations could receive up to four feet of new snow.

Tuesday’s surprise snowstorm blew in right at the height of rush hour, locking up traffic on freeways and surface streets across the Portland/Vancouver metro area.

Commuters used to 30-minute drives home sat in traffic for four hours as cars spun out, trucks jackknifed and hills across the region became unnavigable.

At 10:30 p.m., lanes on some freeways were still moving at a crawl.

The storm caught the city by surprise, as only locations in the Columbia River Gorge were expected to see any snow. In Portland, delight at what appeared to be a dusting turned to concern as the snow piled up.

Buses struggled on hills as TriMet crews were caught unawares and buses could not be chained up. Drivers in cars unable to make it up hills abandoned their vehicles in some places, clogging traffic.

Across the region, kids on holiday break from schools flocked to hillsides for traditional sledding activities. Snowmen popped up on lawns everywhere and snowball battles raged in evening hours.

Earlier in December, forecasters called for snow in Portland but the storm stalled and then lost energy, leaving the city unscathed.

For commuters, it was a lesson in patience on Tuesday.

Chad Danton left work early in Vancouver but got stuck on Highway 26 at the bottom of Sylvan Hill for over five hours.

“Look at all those people slipping everywhere. Yeah, it’s a mess,” he said.

Cars slipped and slid on the snow and TriMet buses were stranded in various locations throughout town.

Near Northeast 33rd Avenue and Klickitat, a TriMet bus went off the road, something that neighbors said they’ve seen before. This year, and during last year’s major storm, they have come to the rescue of drivers by directing traffic and giving them a push when their cars got stuck.

“I’ve lived (here) for a couple of years, so last year we did the same thing and we were out her for hours,” said Nicole Ross. “I saw people slipping back and forth all day. There was like a 10-car pileup right up the road, and then the bus blocked (the road). We were just trying to keep people from crashing into each other and houses.”

When a car attempted to drive up an incline, but instead slid sideways into the curb and got stuck, it wasn’t anything these neighbors couldn’t handle. A couple of them came to the rescue to get it back on the road again.

These neighbors said they are just happy to get people moving again.

KATU Meteorologist Dave Salesky said during the 11 p.m. newscast that at about 7:30 p.m. the region turned the corner and began to thaw out. For Wednesday he said he expected the temperature to be about 34 degrees and raining with it rising to about 40 degrees by noon.

The Columbia River Gorge and the hills, however, will still see some snowfall early in the day Wednesday.

On Thursday, Salesky said he expects a “strong, powerful storm” to arrive that will belt the region with rain and wind.