C.O. snow followed by sub-zero cold

Central Oregon plunged into single-digit — or below-zero — territory overnight in the wake of a snowstorm that left many roads slick in the region.

A weather spotter near La Pine reported the coldest unofficial reading — -25 — while the National Weather Service in Pendleton reported the coldest spot in its forecast area was at Tepee Creek on the Deschutes National Forest, at 4,735 foot elevation, where it fell to -17. It was zero at Bend Airport shortly after sunrise, -2 at Sisters and -7 at La Pine.

The first snow of the season is making Bend look holiday-ready, but it’s also causing accidents all around town.

“I was just driving and it slid,” said one resident after a minor fender bender.

Tow truck companies said they were slammed all day Tuesday.

“Lots and lots of recoveries. Lots of people going off the side of the road,” said Jason Chambers, a driver for Trac Towing.

“We’ve had rollovers since the storm started — a lot of people going off the road needing to be winched out,” said co-worker Xanthia Beard.

Authorities said accidents have been minor, because people tend to slow down when it snows, but small crashes are common.

“The roads are a lot slicker than they look. I was almost stopped at the light, and she just couldn’t stop and ran into the back end of my truck,” said another victim of the slick roads.

Chambers said he expects to have a busy winter.

“Looking at the forecast, it looks like we could be getting some more snow. So I wouldn’t put it past Mother Nature to give us some more business.”