Jefferson County schools closed; Culver on snow routes

(Update: Jefferson County schools closed; Culver on snow routes; NWS reduces Bend snow forecast)

Snow was falling Monday morning in Madras and Jefferson County 509-J schools closed for the day, while Culver school buses were operating on snow routes.

Sunday brought blue skies, though accompanied by a cold wind, to much of Central Oregon after a snowy start to the weekend. But keep those shovels handy: Forecasters said there’s plenty of winter weather ahead through the coming week, with several more inches of snow — perhaps 10 inches, in Bend — possible by midweek.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning through 4 a.m. Tuesday for the east slopes of the Oregon Cascades, including La Pine and Sunriver, for heavy snow at times and 6-10 more inches after a brief break between systems.

“Travel could be very difficult to impossible,” the NWS said.

Meanwhile, a winter weather advisory was issued for the rest of Central and North-Central Oregon, also until 4 a.m. Tuesday, with 3-6 inches of snow expected and a possibility of freeing rain Monday afternoon.

Winds gusted to 35 mph late Sunday and early Monday in Bend.

But that’s not all: The NWS had said Sunday that 8-18 inches more snow were possible in the Bend area by mid-week, but reduced that overnight and said early Monday that 5-10 inches could fall.

There were no Monday school closures or delays reported to NewsChannel 21 as of Sunday night. Tune in to NewsChannel 21 at Sunrise for the latest, and Chief Meteorologist Bob Shaw also will be listing closures in his post to our weather page.

Mt. Bachelor skiers and snowboarders are enjoying all the fresh powder, but resort officials also are warning of the added risks of tree wells, which form around patches of small trees with branches going into the ground.

Last year, two people died on Mt. Bachelor in a two-day span when they fell into tree wells. Both were separated from friends at the time, so officials stress to stay ski or ride with friends.

“The saying goes, ‘No friends on a ‘pow’ day,” Marketing Manager Anelise Bergin said Sunday. “But up here at Mt. Bachelor, we are all about friends on a pow day. It’s safer, and it’s more fun.”

In a related danger on the slopes, there’s also an avalanche warning for the Mt. Hood region until 6 p.m. Monday.

To our north, the Seattle Times reports storms have delivered more snow to Seattle in the first days of February than it usually gets in a year. Seattle schools will be closed Monday. Other area schools will also be closed.

Get the latest word on road conditions at our ODOT TripCheck page, and the latest on any Redmond Airport flight delays or cancellations as the new storm hits the Northwest at the RDM flight status page.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.