LIVE BLOG: Windy Monday, region prepares for round 2
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A massive winter storm that rocked Oregon and Southwest Washington throughout the weekend continues to cause issues in the region.
Thousands remain without power as crews work around-the-clock to repair it.
This live blog will be updated often as the Arctic blast sweeps through.
Monday, 8:45 a.m.
TriMet announced Monday morning that due to “extensive damage” all MAX service would remain suspended through the day. Buses still remain on the roads, however, they are following a Sunday schedule since it is MLK day, TriMet said.
Monday, 7:40 a.m.
The KOIN 6 Weather team says the forecast for Monday calls for temperatures in the teens and low 20s with strong winds blowing for most of the day. Gusts in the metro area could get up to 35 to 50mph, while the Gorge could see gusts ranging from 60-75mph. There are still plenty of concerns for more fallen trees and additional power outages.
A second round of potentially dangerous winter weather arrives Tuesday with the forecast calling for snow in the morning, likely followed by freezing rain in the afternoon. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for the Portland metro area as well as Cowlitz County and Clark County in SW Washington.
Monday, 6:50 a.m.
Lake Oswego police shared on X that a man died during the winter weather event when a tree fell into his home.
Monday, 6:30 a.m.
As of Monday morning, nearly 80,000 people in Oregon and Southwest Washington remain without power. According to PGE, just under 70,000 customers are without power. Pacific Power says just over 7,000 of their customers don’t have power. Another round of wintery weather is expected to hit the area and could lead to more outages across the region.
Monday, Midnight
Monday is Martin Luther King Day in the United States. It is a federal holiday and many schools throughout Oregon are closed for the day.
Salem-Keizer is closed for Monday and Tuesday. These school districts are closed Monday: Portland Public Schools, David Douglas, Parkrose, Reynolds, Centennial, Corbett, Gresham Barlow, Lake Oswego, West Linn-Wilsonville, North Clackamas, Oregon City, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard-Tualatin.
Monday, Midnight
All Portland Parks & Recreation community centers, arts centers, indoor sports facilities, permitted field games/practices, and the Portland Tennis Center are closed Monday for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. All classes and activities are canceled.
Also, the Portland Winter Ice Rink and Woodsy Winter Village will be closed Monday.
SUNDAY LIVE BLOG: Possible 2nd Multnomah County hypothermia death
Sunday, 8:30 p.m.
MAX light rail service remains suspended with no timetable determined for resuming service. TriMet officials said there was extensive damage to the tracks and the overhead wires.
In one instance between the Beaverton Transit Center and Sunset Transit Center, 2 sections of overhead wire were damaged. One of them was a 300-foot section, the other was a 1000-foot section. Crews are working to repair these and other areas of damage.
All scheduled TriMet bus lines are operating. On Monday, TriMet buses will operate on Sunday schedules in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Sunday, 4:48 p.m.
The death of a second person in Multnomah County may be from hypothermia, officials said Sunday. The man died in the 97217 ZIP code, the only identification yet provided. The man’s death was reported Saturday and the Multnomah County Medical Examiner is now looking into the exact cause of death. Authorities said it could be weeks or months before any confirmation on cause is made.
The 97217 ZIP Code includes Hayden Island.
Sunday, 4:45 p.m.
TriMet reports multiple trees down on top of MAX tracks between Beaverton Transit Center and Sunset Transit Center. Crews are working to remove the debris and repair the damaged overhead wire system. They say milder conditions today have helped crews, but the extent of the work continues to be challenging.
With temperatures remaining well below freezing, crews are seeing areas where snow and ice completely cover the rails, especially where the tracks are embedded in the road. This will require breaking up that ice, or melting with warmer temperatures, before trains can move through.
Sunday, 4:18 p.m.
Portland International Airport (PDX) is reporting multiple flight delays and cancelations, with 139 total delays and 31 total cancelations.
Go to flypdx.com for further updates on PDX arrivals and departures.
Sunday, 3:25 p.m.
At PDX, two pipes burst overnight due to the freezing temperatures and created water in the ticket lobby and other locations at the airport. Staff have been working to clean the impacted areas and PDX says this did not impact passenger travel.
Sunday, 2:50 p.m.
Vancouver Clinic Urgent Care locations at Salmon Creek, Battle Ground, 87th Avenue and Columbia Tech Center will close at 5 p.m. Sunday. For Monday, all clinic locations will be open regular hours.
Sunday, 2:40 p.m.
Clark County has announced the following road closures for Sunday:
Southeast Moffet/Southeast 30th Street
Southeast Hans Nagel Road/Southeast 35th Street
Southeast Sunset View Road
Southeast 362nd Avenue/Southeast Moffet Road
Northwest Bratten Canyon Road
Northwest Allen’s Canyon Road
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