Wednesday’s freezing rain encased the region’s trees in a heavy shroud of ice…breaking off many limbs, causing outages and blocking roads. KLCC’s Brian Bull ventured out along Spencer Butte in South Eugene and recorded some of the explosive sound late last night.
(CRASHING SOUND OF ICE SNAPPING AND DEBRIS CASCADING OFF TREES)
“It’s very pretty, in a surreal way. Everything is bright white and shimmering. At the same time, everything’s a little lopsided, and some of these treetops are bent at strange angles. Which speaks to the heavy weight that’s being put on them by all the accumulated ice.
“I’m walking in the middle of the street, or on sidewalks that aren’t covered by trees. So I don’t get hit by any falling branches or ice, which I’m sure would be pretty dangerous if you weren’t keeping clear of it.
(SPLINTERING SOUND, TRICKLING OF ICE AND FROZEN NEEDLES, ETC.)
“There’s a tree limb blocking half the road. Must’ve snapped just in the last hour or so, it wasn’t there before. Every branch is glazed in thick heavy ice.”

(RANDOM BURSTS NEAR AND FAR)
Note: People are advised to steer clear of trees weighed down by ice and heavy snow. Conditions are expected to warm up after the weekend.