C.O. travel woes linger as big dig follows big dump

Central Oregonians awoke Wednesday after a huge dump of a foot-plus of snow over much of the region to the big chore of clearing roads, sidewalks and driveways on Thanksgiving Eve, traditionally one of the busiest travel days of the year.

The first big winter storm of the season — and one of the biggest in recent years — dropped a foot or more of snow across the High Desert on Tuesday, causing so many crashes and slide-offs authorities were prompted to advise against travel if at all possible.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office warned Wednesday morning of “significant delays” and traffic stopped on Highway 97 south of Sunriver and advised, “Avoid travel in the area if possible.”

There were reports around 7:40 a.m. of one jackknifed semi and another in the ditch on Highway 97 near milepost 151. Truckers were being stopped by deputies heading south and told to chain up their rigs.

Shortly before 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, ODOT reported Highway 97 was blocked in both directions about four miles south of Madras as vehicles spun out in slick conditions. Sanding crews were en route.

Amid the big dig-out, all Central Oregon Community College campuses were closed Wednesday, as was OSU-Cascades, after an early 3 p.m. closure Tuesday.

Other weather-related closures Wednesday included the Central Oregon Council on Aging and Madras Head Start programs operated by the Oregon Child Development Coalition and the Mid-Columbia Children’s Council. Bend Spay and Neuter also was closed, with surgeries to be rescheduled.

But there also was a non-closure report, as all six Deschutes Public Libraries were opening at regular hours, closing at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

(Please send more info on closures – or favorite weather/snow pix to stories@ktvz.com.)

Midstate Electric Cooperative repair crews restored power to most customers around 5 a.m. in the Three Rivers area north of La Pine after a downed line cut power for about four hours. But some Sunriver/Three Rivers area residents still had no power as of 9 a.m., according to the co-ops online outage map.

Dozens if not hundreds of frustrated motorists were stuck for three to six hours Tuesday afternoon and night on southbound Highway 97 at Lava Butte south of Bend, a notorious trouble spot one officer was heard calling a “sheet of ice.” Callers to NewsChannel 21 complained they were getting little if any info or updates on what was going on.

We heard from some who even five or six hours to make it home from Bend.

ODOT spokesman Peter Murphy said Wednesday a combination of issues made for the very bad situation, from far heavier snow than predicted to heavy pre-holiday travel, many drivers without snow tires and snowfall compacted into ice by heavy traffic.

“We couldn’t get through to plow or haul cars because of so many spin-outs,” Murphy said.

“I think people should avoid travel if possible,” Deschutes County sheriff’s Sgt. Nathan Garibay, emergency services manager, told NewsChannel 21 early Tuesday evening.

“The wet snow and ice are creating very treacherous road conditions,” Garibay said. “All roadways are extremely slick.”

A weather spotter near Deschutes River Woods reported 13 inches of snow by 9 p.m. – and it was still falling. And other areas reported similar or even greater amounts.

Another weather spotter south of Bend reported 14 inches of snow by 10:15 p.m., including four inches in three hours Tuesday night and still falling at a heavy rate. And a resident near Deschutes Junction, between Bend and Redmond, reported 18 inches.

And Mt. Bachelor? It got “only” about seven inches of snow overnight, but that’s enough to promise a wider opening (Pine Marten, Skyliner and Sunrise).

The National Weather Service revised its winter weather advisory to a winter storm warning in effect until 7 a.m. Wednesday, advising of total storm accumulations of 5-9 inches and winds from the north increasing to 10-20 mph.. But the storm easily topped those predictions late in the day.

A weather spotter just west of Redmond reported 6.5 inches of snow between 9:45 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.

And as darkness and temperatures fell, the rash of crashes rose, with few areas spared. Check ODOT’s TripCheck here.

Snow and low visibility also were affecting some flights at Redmond Municipal Airport, with some (but not all) flights canceled or diverted Tuesday night and Wednesday morning ; track updates here.

Deschutes County 911 dispatchers said a traditional trouble spot was Highway 97 south of Bend at Lava Butte, where slick roads, slide-offs and rollovers were reported.

But by the evening commute — with snow still coming down — crashes were reported around the region, from rollovers to hit-and-runs.

ODOT had trouble getting in to plow and sand due to the backup of cars, some that stalled, and semis that either stopped to chain up or jackknifed. Motorists were urged to avoid the area, but that was too late for those who became stuck and had little info to go on.

ODOT and other agencies had crews out non-stop to keep up with the snow.

The city of Bend reported having all available resources out on the street, with 24-hour staffing through three shifts and 19 pieces of equipment such as plows and sanders. A city spokeswoman said they also had begun notifying pre-approved private contractors to clear residential streets, since the snow depth hit (and exceeded) a half-foot.

“Our game plan is to have these guys out on the parkway so we can sort of keep up with and maybe even get ahead of the snowfall,” said Peter Murphy with ODOT. “They just keep working right until the next shift comes on at 3:30 in the afternoon. Then they work all night long until 2 and depending on overtime until 3:30 in the morning.”

ODOT crews were busy during the day getting slush off the road. Murphy said the biggest concern is that the slush could turn to ice overnight and make for very dangerous driving conditions.

At the end of the day, Murphy said, ODOT can only do so much.

“Cinders are not for everybody to go 55 miles an hour. That’s not what cinders are for,” Murphy said.

Things were tricky earlier in Bend as well, as a semi-truck reportedly struck a power pole, downing lines around 1:30 p.m. at Southeast 27th Street and Bear Creek Road.

As the snow kept falling, there also were reported rough driving conditions in the Juniper Canyon area southeast of Prineville, as well as crashes in the Powell Butte area.

In fact, Crook County sheriff’s Sgt. James Savage put it this way: “The whole county is a whiteout.”