Eugene, Lane County winter weather to continue with cold ahead of more freezing rain
As Eugene and the rest of Willamette Valley attempt to dig out from a long weekend of snow and ice and frigid temperatures, weather forecasts were predicting a much-needed dose of clear sky for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
On the other hand, temperatures were expected to barely reach above freezing and residents were already bracing for what could be another round of freezing rain on the horizon.
With the rough weather still taking its toll on the region, here are the latest updates from Eugene and the surrounding region:
Emergency routes in Eugene
City work crews were working across Eugene to clear major roadways, with plows, sanders, ground crews and others responding to downed trees and limbs.
The city was still under a designated Snow/Ice Emergency declaration as of Monday morning, meaning all vehicles were not allowed to be parked on designated snow emergency routes so crews could sand and clear roads.
a tree or tree limb presenting a hazard on a road or in a median should call 541-682-4800. Please include details on how big the hazard is, where it is and how many lanes of traffic it is blocking. Trees that are not causing a hazard but still are in public areas can be reported online using the maintenance request form.
All city parks remained closed, with officials saying they were worried about safety issues, especially regarding tree limbs.
Residents were also still urged to avoid driving. Fewer people on the roadway helped road crews to do their work, officials said.
Cold, dry weather ahead of more freezing rain
The weather is expected to be cold and dry through early Tuesday when a low-pressure system from the southwest is forecast to bring freezing rain into Wednesday.
High temperatures are anticipated to return to the upper 40s or low 50s on Wednesday, with rain in the Willamette Valley and snow in the Cascades, for the rest of the week.
A total of 0.2 to 0.3 inches of ice is forecast Tuesday in the central and southern Willamette Valley. The ice is expected to begin in the morning and last into the evening. It’s less than Saturday’s ice totals that reached a half-inch in some places, but enough to have widespread impact.
“We’ll definitely have some possibility of power outages, tree damage and slippery roads,” said Jacob Hall with the National Weather Service in Portland. “The good news is that we’re not forecasting strong winds.”
Widespread power outages and road closures
Late Sunday, tens of thousands of Oregonians in the northwestern part of the state were without power and a multitude of highways and roads were closed, due to fallen trees and power lines.
Wind and snow and ice downed trees and power lines across northwestern Oregon over the weekend, knocking out power and prompting the closure of numerous roads.
Pacific Power said crews are working to restore power as quickly as possible where it is safe to do so, but are working in challenging conditions.
"Please prepare for the possibility of extended duration outages and stay away from downed trees and power lines," the utility said on it's website early Sunday. "Call 211 if you need access to cold weather shelters in your community."
As of Monday morning, new outages have spread to Creswell with about 348 customers in the area without power.
Eugene Water & Electric Board, which has dozens of scattered outages, follows a "hierarchy of repair" during major outages -- first repairing downed transmission and distribution lines that will restore power to the most number of people, then repairing wires that serve fewer customers.
Most of the outages Monday morning are east of Springfield, east of the University of Oregon Campus, and in north Eugene.
Closures and delays in Eugene, Springfield, Lane County
Lane Transit District: Bus services are suspended until further notice.
Lane Community College: Closed until further notice. The men's and women's basketball games against Chemeketa Community College have been postponed.
Eugene School District 4J: Closed Tuesday.
South Lane School District: Closed Tuesday. No school or activities.
Junction City School District: Closed Tuesday.
Fern Ridge School District: Closed Tuesday.
Creswell School District: Closed Tuesday.
Pleasant Hill School District: Closed Tuesday.
Crow-Applegate-Lorane School District: Closed Tuesday. No preschool.
Blachly School District: Closed Tuesday.
Mapleton School District: Closed Tuesday.
Marcola School District: All schools closed Tuesday. No kindergarten or preschool, no activity bus runs. All schools are school-sponsored activities have been canceled.
McKenzie School District: Closed Tuesday.
Eugene Montessori School: Closed Tuesday. No kindergarten or preschool.
Eugene Christian School: Closed Tuesday.
Head Start of Lane County: Closed Tuesday.
Willamette Leadership Academy: Closed Tuesday.
Lane Education Service District: Closed Tuesday.
Greater Albany School District: Closed Tuesday.
Lebanon Community Schools: Closed Tuesday.
Central Linn School District: Closed Tuesday.
Sweet Home School District: Closed Tuesday.
City of Eugene Parks: Immediate closure, caution advised near trees.
Eugene Airport: Numerous flight cancellations and delays.
University of Oregon Campus: Closed all-day Monday and Tuesday until at least noon. All public events are canceled.
Willamalane Parks: Closed until further notice.
PeaceHealth: All specialty clinics, walk-in clinics, and urgent care will be closed tomorrow. Most elective surgeries will be rescheduled. Other hospital operations will continue.
Cascade Health: Closed Monday except for the Pete Moore Hospice House.
Northwest Medical Homes: Closed Monday and Tuesday.
Willamette Valley Cancer Institute and Research Center.: Closed Monday.
Slocum Orthopedics: Closed Monday.
MLK Jr. Marches: Both the Martin Luther King Jr. Day march planned in Eugene and the one planned in Springfield are canceled.
Deerhorn Road: Closed west of Booth Kelly Road due to falling trees and downed power lines.
McKenzie View Drive: Closed due to falling trees.
OR-126: Closed from Poodle Creek Road, Cheshire to Indian Creek Road, Swisshome due to hazardous trees or vegetation.
OR-36: Closed from Poodle Creek Road, Cheshire to Indian Creek Road, Swisshome due to hazardous trees or vegetation.
OR-99: Closed from E Saginaw Road to Lynx Hollow Road due to hazardous trees or vegetation.
Marcola Road: Closed from Bowman Road to County Line Road due to fallen trees.
Territorial Highway: Closed south of milepost 42 due to fallen trees.
While not closed, state officials have warned of multiple crashes due to icy conditions on I-5 from miles 167-172 (Cottage Grove area). Northbound drivers should expect a 20 minute delay because of stop-and-go traffic.
Egan Warming Centers to open, requesting donations
The Egan Warming Centers will be open Monday. All sites are accessible to people with disabilities and to pets.
Egan Warming Center locations are:
Springfield Memorial Building
765 A St, Springfield
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Transportation Hub at First Christian Church
1166 Oak Street, Eugene
Shuttles will run from 6 p.m. to midnight
Trinity United Methodist Church
440 Maxwell Road, Eugene
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
South Hills at the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection
3925 Hilyard St, Eugene
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Wheeler Pavilion at Lane Events Center
796 W 13th Ave, Eugene
Doors open at 10 p.m., a late opening
The Egan program is seeking donations of gloves and blankets. It is looking for about 200 blankets and as many gloves as people can donate. People willing to travel are asked to bring donations to 888 Garfield Street in Eugene.
Oregon's Emergency Coordination Center activated
The Oregon Department of Emergency Management activated the State Emergency Coordination Center for state agencies and nonprofit partners to share life safety resources, including activating 211 to support warming shelters in several counties.
"If you or someone you know needs a place to stay warm, call 211 or visit 211info.org to find open warming centers in your area; 211 also offer and coordinate transport services to and from warming centers," the agency said.
Emergency Management encouraged people to stay home, stay informed, have an emergency plan and stock an emergency kit.
Oregonians can sign up for local emergency alerts at oralert.gov If you have moved, you should update your information.
The agency said a basic emergency supply kit in case the power goes out includes the following items:
Enough water for one gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation.
Several days’ supply of non-perishable, easy-to-eat food such as peanut butter, protein and granola bars, jerky, nuts, fruit, pretzels, crackers, beans and rice.
A manual can opener.
A battery-powered or hand crank radio or a weather radio.
A flashlight with extra batteries.
A first-aid kit.
Sleeping bags or warm blankets.
NW Natural asks customers to conserve gas
NW Natural on Saturday evening asked customers to conserve gas during the storm "by lowering thermostats as much as you can comfortably and safely manage," minimizing hot water usage and turning off non-essential appliances, to help prevent strain on utility systems.
"We are seeing increased usage by utility customers across our region due to frigid temperatures, which are expected to continue into next week," NW Natural said in the notice to customers.
Modest efforts to conserve gas "can make a big impact in helping the entire energy system navigate this extreme weather event,” said Kim Rush, NW Natural's chief operations officer.
Rush said the company's gas system is operating safely at full capacity and field teams ready to respond to customer needs.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Eugene, Oregon live updates on closures, outages, traffic
