Frigid cold: Sub-zero temperatures reported across the High Desert
(Update: Later overnight low readings)
Three lifts open on backup power at noon
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Temperatures plunged below zero across much of Central Oregon early Monday as the Arctic front that brought some weekend snow got even colder.
A later mid-morning roundup of overnight lows by the National Weather Service showed Meacham dropped to -16, Sunriver Airport and Burns to -11, Sisters Airport to -8, Redmond Airport to -7, Prineville Airport to -4 and Madras Airport to 0 -- and that's not factoring in wind chills.
Powell Butte resident Kenna Hoyser reported a -5 temperature Monday morning, as did Joe Mitchell, near Smith Rock.
A warm-up is expected over the next several days.
On Sunday, Central Oregonians woke up to a fairly thin layer of snow as the cold front swept in from the north, bringing bitterly cold temperatures and making for slick roads and crashes.
Bend-area weather spotters reported from 1.5 to more than 3 inches of snow, depending on location, while Redmond and Madras got about an inch and Sisters 2 inches before the clouds left and blue-sky sunshine ruled.
Though no record lows were reported -- it is January, after all -- official airport temperatures early Sunday dropped as low as 1 degree at Madras, 5 at Bend and Sisters, 7 at Prineville and 10 at Redmond.
The winds that gusted to 25-30 mph Sunday and Sunday night should lighten up Monday, as temperatures climb back toward freezing and maybe a few degrees above in places.
Police agencies and fire medics responded to numerous crashes around the region Saturday night and Sunday, two of which closed U.S. Highway 26 north of Madras for hours Saturday night. Most others resulted in minimal if any delays for motorists, according to ODOT TripCheck.
The city of Bend said its crews were out sanding streets Sunday morning and were monitoring the situation.
Mt. Bachelor also got only a few inches of new snow from the weekend storm, but the winds and very cold temperatures led to power outages that shut lift operations until midday, when three lifts reopened for the afternoon, on backup power.
