New snow closes freeways in Oregon, Washington for hours; Hwy. 97 reopens S. of border
(Update: Highway 97 reopens)
SEATTLE (AP) — Another blast of snow halted travel on a large portion of the main east-west highway across Washington state and also closed Interstate 84 in northeast Oregon for hours on Thursday while snarling traffic in the Seattle and Portland metro areas.
Interstate 84 was closed in both directions between Pendleton and La Grande Thursday morning due to high winds, blowing and drifting snow and whiteout conditions in some areas.
Oregon Department of Transportation crews reported visibility down to zero, with several spun-out semi-trucks. The westbound freeway also was closed to trucks at Ontario due to limited commercial vehicle parking areas in Baker City and La Grande. The freeway reopened by mid-morning.
Washington authorities closed about 80 miles of Interstate 90 over the Cascade Mountains “due to near zero visibility and adverse road conditions.” The highway was closed from about 4:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
ODOT advised Thursday evening that U.S. Highway 97 was closed 20 miles south of the California border "due to extreme winter weather and icy conditions." Motorists were advised to use an alternate route until it reopened late Thursday night.
A storm that moved in overnight dumped up to 3 inches in parts of Seattle and even more outside the city.
The Washington Department of Transportation says Snoqualmie Pass east of Seattle saw more than 9 inches of new snow. In the Portland area and southwest Washington state, up to 4 inches of new snow was possible.
