Wind and snow conditions are so extreme as of Monday morning in Eastern Oregon that many snow plow drivers cannot see the roads well enough to plow them.
That’s prompted the Oregon Department of Transportation to close Interstate 84 from Pendleton to Baker City, and at least seven state routes and more local roads are also closed. Transportation officials have asked all motorists in the Umatilla County area to stay home. They’re warning that anyone who drives on a closed roadway risks being stranded until conditions improve.
More than a dozen school districts in Umatilla, Morrow and Union counties closed on Monday. And with a new storm system expected to move through on Monday, conditions may not improve for several days.
Further west, I-84 through the Columbia River Gorge was also closed due to a winter blizzard that’s brought whiteout conditions. Multiple crashes have been reported between Troutdale and The Dalles. Road crews said Monday morning that it will be a lengthy closure, and they urged people to take alternate routes. One major alternative, Washington’s State Route 14, was closed from Washougal to White Salmon, however.
The National Weather Service is urging people to travel with caution, and to avoid Cascade mountain passes if possible. The Cascades and surrounding foothills could see another 15-30 inches of snow above 2,000 feet elevation.
On Mount Hood, the Timberline ski area was closed due to unsafe snow conditions, though officials said they hoped to reopen Tuesday if weather permits.
In the Portland metro area and much of the Willamette Valley, that heavy precipitation in the form of rain prompted the National Weather Service to issue flood watches that were in effect through Monday afternoon. The agency also issued flood watch and coastal flood advisories for the Oregon and Washington coasts into Monday afternoon.
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