C.O.’s white Christmas Eve: Fun, pretty – dangerous
A white Christmas is at hand for much of the High Desert after a storm brought Christmas Eve snowfall that made for some slick travels and last-minute shopping. Much of the snow melted later in the day, but many streets again froze up after dark, causing more icy roads and crashes.
Several crashes and slide-offs were reported at mid-morning on Highway 97 in the Lava Butte area south of Bend, a frequent trouble spot when winter weather hits.
As a cold front moved through, the National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for much of Central Oregon that began at 10 a.m. Wednesday and was set to continue to 4 a.m. Thursday — but was dropped by Christmas Eve. Forecasters predicted 1-3 inches of snow in areas from Bend to Madras and Prineville to Redmond, accompanied by west-northwest winds rising to 10-20 mph.
To the east, a winter storm warning was in effect until 4 a.m. Thursday in the Ochoco-John Day Highlands, including Brothers and Paulina, with 4-6 inches of snow and winds 15-25 mph.
At noon, snow was falling at the Redmond, Bend and Prineville airports, with rain and 36 degrees in Madras. Later, the sun broke through as roads cleared further, though side roads were still messy.
However, a car and semi crash blocked Highway 97 south of Madras for close to an hour Wednesday afternoon. Another crash a mile west of Santiam Pass on Highway 20 tied up traffic for a time, and other still wet, slushy roads were freezing up after sunset, leading to more crashes.
If traveling over the passes, NewsChannel 21’s Samantha O’Connor advised you to give yourself extra time and carry chains or traction tires, as they remained slick and were expected to get more snow overnight.
Mt. Bachelor got a present of some new snow, too – but only about two inches so far, close to what the rest of the region got, for a 34-inch base depth.
“Did you wish for a white Christmas? You got it!” O’Connor said, adding that while odds are 50-50 of more snow overnight, the colder temperatures will assure much of Wednesday’s snow sticks around for the holiday — though that promises more slick roads and need for caution..
Christmas Day is looking to be a cooler but sunny to partly cloudy day in a break between two storm systems. That one is expected to reach the Northwest late Friday or early Saturday, which could bring more snow to lower elevations. The weekend will be chilly, in the 30s, with some sunshine between rain or snow showers.
