Light dusting of snow delays some schools, makes roads slick

PORTLAND, Ore. - Light snow drifted down around the Portland area Tuesday morning, and while it wasn't enough to make a snowball in most places, it was just thick enough to cause problems on some rural roadways and delay some schools.

A series of crashes and slick conditions closed N.W. Cornelius Pass Road about a half mile north of N.W. Germantown Road in the Bethany/West Union area. No injuries were reported.

Video from KATU's Jet 2 helicopter showed a frosty layer on sections of Cornelius Pass Road and at least one car in a ditch and another with front-end damage being towed away.

Numerous schools around the region delayed opening or canceled some activities and some districts placed buses on snow routes.

At higher elevations around Portland, main thoroughfares had some snow on shoulder areas but most commuters found roadways either clear or just wet with delays in the usual areas. Some upper elevation residential streets had a thin layer of snow covering the pavement.

Light snow also fell from Salem in the south to Longview north of Portland, but no major problems were reported.

• Snow photos from KATU viewers - and send us yours!
• More weather forecast details
• Traffic updates on Twitter from Michael Convery
• Ski report and pass cameras

KATU Meteorologist Rhonda Shelby said the small amount of snow that did manage to stick in places would be melting quickly as highs reach into the upper 40s Tuesday and partly sunny conditions prevail.

While the low Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning will again come close to or reach the freezing mark, Shelby said there won't be anything falling from the sky as the weather clears.

Shelby said warmer temperatures are due to return with a high of 60 degrees or more on Thursday and Friday. Watch the latest forecast