C.O. roads icy again; JeffCo classes delayed

A second straight day of icy roads led to another two-hour delay in classes Thursday morning in the Jefferson County School District, officials said.

A mix of rain and snow fell over much of the High Desert late Wednesday, followed by temperatures dipping right to around freezing in many locations.

Crashes and slide-offs were reported early Thursday on highways 97 and 361 in Jefferson County due to slippery conditions. Oregon State Police were sending more units to the area south of Madras to respond to those reports, according to KBND radio. There were no reports of injuries.

That wasn’t the only area with problems: NewsChannel 21 viewers reported slick conditions on roads around the area — not surprising, as Bend Airport sat at the freezing mark through the overnight hours, as did most of the region, dropping a bit further before sunrise.

“Hey C.O. It’s super icy outside right now, take caution!” wrote Kelly DeSoto around 4:30 a.m. “I hope it melts before you have to go to work/school today.”

Scott Brees reported at 5:10 a.m., “SUPER icy this morning in SW Bend. Roundabouts at Powers and Reed Market by the Old Mill are completely glossed-over and slick as a sheet of glass, even with ODOT spraying just minutes before.”

“Doors frozen solid on the car with large drops of ice all over,” Brees added. “Just one of those mornings I wish I had 10 minutes extra to warm up before heading out. Be careful out there.”

Roads in both north and southwest Redmond also were reported to be very slick.

Slide-offs continued through the icy morning commute, though Deschutes 911 dispatchers said there had not been that many, considering the slick conditions.