PORTLAND, Oregon. — Parts of the Pacific Northwest were under an ice storm warning until Wednesday morning, threatening to increase damage from a powerful winter storm that hit the region over the weekend.
The area of southwest Washington and western Oregon, including that state’s largest cities, Portland, Salem and Eugene, expected to see between a quarter and an inch (6 to 25 millimeters) of ice, while freezing rain was forecast. in the Seattle area.
Schools were closed in many places, bus service was restricted and warm shelters opened, as officials warned of dangerous road conditions and the possibility of new power outages, even as crews struggled to restore electricity to thousands. of people who have been without electricity for days.
The forecast came as much of the United States faced severe weather that in some places put power supplies at risk. Another day of record cold temperatures hit much of the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains and Midwest on Tuesday, with wind chills below -30 (-34.4 Celsius) extending into the central Mississippi Valley. Meanwhile, on the East Coast, New York and Philadelphia ended a drought of sorts with enough snow to play in both cities.
The Tennessee Valley Authority, which supplies electricity in seven states, asked its customers to voluntarily reduce power, citing high demand for power due to the cold. A similar request came from the network operator in Texas.
In Oregon, transportation officials closed 47 miles (76 kilometers) of Interstate 84, a major east-west highway that runs from Portland through the Columbia River Gorge, because of the threat of ice.
In the mountains, the National Weather Service warned of heavy snowfall in the Cascades with winds gusting up to 50 mph (80 kph), mixed with freezing rain and ice that could make travel “very difficult or impossible.” A storm warning was in effect until Thursday afternoon.
The Pacific Northwest is best known for rain and was not expected to experience arctic temperatures, but the heavily forested region is especially prone to the danger of downed trees and power lines, particularly during ice storms.
“We’re lucky to be alive,” said Justin Brooks, as he used a chainsaw Tuesday to cut the trunks of two massive trees that narrowly missed his home in Lake Oswego, Oregon, when they fell Saturday.
Elsewhere in Lake Oswego on Tuesday, arborist Ryan Cafferky scaled a towering 150-foot (46-meter) tree to begin the laborious process of felling it. The city considered the 120-year-old tree a threat to the public because it was at risk of falling, he said.
As of Tuesday night, about 52,000 people in Oregon were still without power, according to the website poweroutage.us. Forecasters warned residents to prepare for more power outages.
In the Portland metropolitan area, about two dozen buses had suspended service or were being detoured to avoid dangerous roads since storms hit the area a few days ago.
At least seven deaths were attributed to the weekend’s weather, which included snow and high winds, including a man who died when a tree hit his home in Lake Oswego and a woman who died when a tree crushed a recreational vehicle in Portland. , trapping her and causing a fire, authorities said.
Five people in Oregon are believed to have died of hypothermia, authorities said.
The warmer air was expected to provide some relief from the frigid weather set to begin later Wednesday.
However, the frigid morning forecast led Portland Public Schools, the state’s largest district, to cancel classes for a second day Wednesday, citing concerns about potential power issues, burst pipes and unsafe school hallways and parking lots. .
The Beaverton School District also canceled classes Wednesday, noting that some buildings still lacked electricity and heat.
Courts, libraries and parks were also closed in Portland and other parts of Multnomah County.
County officials extended the state of weather emergency until noon Wednesday and decided to keep a record 12 overnight emergency weather shelters open for an additional night. The county said 1,181 people slept in shelters Monday night, surpassing the previous night’s record of 1,136.
Authorities issued an urgent call for volunteers, citing the high demand for shelter services in an area where thousands of people live outdoors at risk of exposure to the cold.
“The real limitation for us right now is staffing,” said Dan Field, director of the joint county-city homeless office. “We need enough people to keep the doors of emergency shelters open.”