Oregon winter storm live updates: Hazardous driving conditions persist

A winter storm that shut down much of western Oregon Friday with ice and freezing rain has mostly abated as of Saturday afternoon. But with heavy holiday travel traffic expected over the next several days, drivers are still advised to check weather conditions and travel routes before they get on the road.

1 p.m. Saturday: Weather update

The National Weather Service winter storm warning for the central Willamette Valley has expired as of noon. Rain is likely to continue through to Christmas day.

11 a.m. Saturday: Travel update

Interstate 84 between Troutdale and Hood River is now back open, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.

State highways continue to be open and mostly clear of delays in western Oregon so far.

9 a.m. Saturday: Travel update

The state's major highways were mostly clear Saturday morning, but the Oregon Department of Transportation is reporting some road closures.

• Oregon 18 one mile east of Otis milepost 2 is closed due to a landslide.

• Interstate 84 is closed from Troutdale to Hood River due to the weather.

For a full list or to check your route, visit tripcheck.com.

8:30 a.m. Saturday: Areas of freezing rain continue

Temperatures have begun to rise but a winter weather advisory remains in effect in the central Willamette Valley and Portland metro area. Drivers should continue to watch out for areas of freezing rain accumulation.

6 p.m. Friday: Weather update

The National Weather Service reported temperatures reached slightly above freezing Friday and were expected to continue to rise overnight and into Saturday morning. Rain was expected Friday night, all Saturday and into Sunday. Saturday's high is predicted to be in the low 50s but Christmas Day's high could rise to near 60 degrees.

3:45 p.m. Friday: East 30th Avenue, Prairie Road reopen

East 30th Avenue is reopened between Hilyard Street and Interstate 5 after closing for most of the day Friday due to crashes and slide offs. Eastbound traffic will continue to be restricted to one lane at Spring Boulevard through Friday evening.

Prairie Road is set to reopen at 4 p.m. Friday after being closed for nearly 24 hours following a multi-car crash and slick conditions.

Eugene's ice and snow emergency is still in place despite warming temperatures as crews work to address continued ice accumulation on roads, especially in the South Hills.

Officials are encouraging people to continue to use caution as they travel through town.

2:15 p.m. Friday: EWEB reports no significant damage, no outages related to storm

The ice storm that swept the Willamette Valley didn't cause significant damages to EWEB infrastructure, and there were no outages related to the storm, the public utility said Friday afternoon.

Tyler Nice, EWEB's electric operations manager, said the utility prepared throughout the week for the possibility of widespread outages, but none happened.

“We remain ready to respond to any isolated outages that customers may experience," Nice said in a statement.

EWEB works throughout the year to make its electric infrastructure more resilient to withstand storms that bring snow, ice and wind to Eugene, utility spokesman Aaron Orlowski said in an email.

That includes "a full toolbox of 'grid hardening' strategies," such as trimming vegetation along more than 300 miles of power lines every year, replacing older equipment on a regular basis, inspecting equipment for potential problems and practicing for widespread power outages.

12:30 p.m. Friday: Egan centers not open Friday night

The Egan Warming Centers are not open Friday night, officials said.

10:45 a.m. Friday: Cities delay opening of facilities until noon

All Eugene recreation buildings and the Bethel and Sheldon library branches will now open at noon. The downtown library opened at 10 a.m.

Springfield also delayed the opening of city hall, the library and municipal court until noon.

9:30 a.m.: 30th Avenue closed

Eugene's 30th Avenue near the Spring Boulevard overpass has been closed while officials clean up following several crashes in the area overnight and Friday morning.

As of Friday morning, more than 30 cars, a city snowplow and a Willamette Pass ski buss were piled up in the area.

8:45 a.m. Friday: Weather update

The ice storm warning remains in effect until 10 a.m. but the weather is expected to warm through the morning to a high near 51 degrees, with ice turning to rain.

8:30 a.m. Friday: Driving in Springfield? Check the map

The city's Operations Division staff ha been working to add deicer and sand to streets over the past few days, but officials Friday morning said road conditions were icy. Find the city's road snow and ice priorities map here.

7 a.m. Friday: No bus service this morning

Lane Transit District and Ridesource are not currently running bus service. Officials estimate service will resume at 11 a.m. if conditions improve.

Visit ltd.org for updated information.

6:45 a.m. Friday: Headed out of town? Check your flights

More than a dozen flights in and out of Eugene Airport and 190 in and out of Portland International have been canceled so far today, according to the tracking website flightaware.com.

Alaska Airlines announced it was canceling all Alaska Airlines and Horizon departures out of Seattle and Portland until noon because of icy runway conditions.

6:30 a.m.: Friday closures, delayed openings

Eugene has delayed the opening of public offices and facilities, including community centers, libraries and administration, until 10 a.m. Friday.

911, fire and emergency services continue to operate as usual.

Other Friday closures and delays include:

Lane County Circuit Court: Court will open at 10 a.m. Individuals with 8:30 a.m. or 9:30 a.m. hearings should arrive at 10 a.m.

Lane County Waste Management: All transfer sites, with the exception of Florence, are operating on a two-hour delay.

Oregon appellate courts, tax court, state court administrative office and Supreme Court: Partially closed Friday for the purpose of staffing public counters and filing documents. Scheduled remote hearings will continue. The closure won't impact eFilings systems, remote access to case records or issuance of decisions. Employees will work offsite or remotely.

Oregon Imaging Center: Delayed opening until 10 a.m.

Oregon Medical Group: All clinic openings delayed until 10 a.m. If you have an appointment Friday, you will be called to reschedule.

Oregon state offices: All state government offices except courts and legislative offices will be closed Friday in the Portland and Salem metro areas. Visit www.oregon.gov/das for more info.

Points West Credit Union: Closed Friday.

Springfield: City Hall, library and municipal court will open at 10 a.m. The Springfield History Museum will remain closed through Saturday.

Willamette Valley Cancer Institute and Research Center: Patients are being notified of a three-hour delay.

6 a.m. Friday: Many Eugene roads covered in ice

Hazardous conditions persist in Eugene due to significant ice accumulations overnight and freezing temperatures, Eugene Public Works spokesperson Brian Richardson said.

"People are still urged to stay home until conditions improve," Richardson said in a 5:30 a.m. news release. "Stopping and turning will prove especially challenging."

Public Works crews worked overnight with a focus on through the night with a focus on Eugene’s busier streets.

30^th Avenue between Hilyard Street and Interstate 5 remains closed.

11:30 p.m. Thursday: Stay off roads, if you can

Freezing rain has made roads hazardous or impossible to use, especially at higher elevations in the Coast and Cascade mountain ranges, the Oregon Department of Transportation said.

"Stay off the highway for Thursday night if you can," the department said in a news release. "Highways may be closing due to the severe weather and multiple-vehicle crashes in the icy road conditions. It is impossible to estimate when each highway can reopen.'

Closures as of 11:30 p.m. included:

• Interstate 84 is closed in both directions in the Columbia River Gorge from Troutdale to Hood River due to hazardous conditions. The interstate will remain closed from exits 17 to 64 until conditions improve.

10 p.m.: Lane Transit District cancels bus service

Lane Transit District and Ridesource have discontinued bus service due to ice and poor road conditions.

Service will resume at 9 a.m. Friday if conditions improve.

See ltd.org for the most current Friday service information.

9:30 p.m.: Freezing rain may increase into Friday

The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center issued a report on Oregon's freezing rain, listing it as "concerning."

According to the report, portions of the Willamette Valley are more likely to see greater accretions of freezing rain than areas to the north.

9:10 p.m.: Road closures in Eugene

Lane County Public Works has closed 30^th Avenue in Eugene from Interstate 5 to Spring Boulevard, where county maintenance of the road begins.

“There are more than 20 cars off the road on that stretch of 30^th Avenue right now,” said Lane County Road Maintenance Manager Orin Schumacher. “We can’t stress enough how dangerous the roads are tonight and how important it is that people stay home.”

Lane County crews will work through the night, but deicer and sand have a limited effect during freezing rain and ice events.

Other road closures until conditions improve include:

• 30^th Avenue at Hilyard Street due to continued icy conditions and numerous crashes.

• Prairie Road in Eugene at Irving Road also is closed following a multiple-vehicle crash and increasingly slick conditions.

“The best place to be right now is home and off the roads,” Schumacher said.

7:10 p.m.: Eugene Police ask people to say home

Eugene Police said there have been a lot of vehicle crashes on "super slick" roads this evening.

"Stay home if you can," the department said in a news release. "If you absolutely have to go out, please drive very carefully. Don’t call 911 unless you have an emergency."

6:45 p.m.: UO closes

The University of Oregon Eugene campus is closed from 8 p.m. Thursday through Friday. The Portland campus is also closed Friday.

All events are cancelled and all offices are closed. Employees who are able to work remotely and are not scheduled to be off are expected to work remotely.

Those required to be on campus should use caution while outside and watch out for downed trees or power lines. Students who live on campus should be careful traveling to residence halls and dining venues and limit campus travel as much as possible. Walkways and public transportation may be limited.

6 p.m.: Emergency parking ban in effect

Eugene has declared an ice/snow emergency, effective immediately. All vehicles must be removed immediately from designated snow emergency routes to help ensure emergency vehicles, buses and other essential traffic can move safely around town and so parked vehicles don't impact snow removal efforts.

A map of those roads can be found at eugene-or.gov/snow

The ban is in effect until further notice.

Public Works are sanding elevated surfaces near signalized intersections and in the south hills.

5:45 p.m.: Crash on Oregon 99 affecting all lanes

The Oregon Department of Transportation is reporting a crash on Oregon 99 about six miles north of Eugene that is affecting all lanes. Motorists can expect at least a 20-minute delay until about 8:30 p.m. Ice has been reported on the highway.

5:20 p.m.: Roads are icy

Traffic is light in the Eugene and Springfield region but roads are icy, according to TripCheck.com. Public safety officials are advising drivers to stay home if they can, and drive carefully if they have to go out.

5:20 p.m.: Friday opening delays, closures

Eugene pools: All pools will have a delayed 9 a.m. opening Friday.

Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles: Oregon DMV locations in Eugene, Springfield, Cottage Grove, Junction City, Florence and Oakridge will be closed through noon Friday.

Springfield: Springfield Municipal Court, City Hall and public library will open at 10 a.m. Friday. Springfield Municipal Court will send automated text messages, emails and phone calls to let individuals know if their court dates have been rescheduled.

State of Oregon offices: State offices in Lane, Clatsop, Lincoln and Tillamook counties are closed Friday. Because Monday is the official Christmas holiday, state offices will resume normal business hours Tuesday. This does not include courts or legislative offices. Visit oregon.gov/das/ for more information on state office closures.

4:30 p.m.: Even the decorations are cold

3:30 p.m. Thursday: Warming centers open

Egan Warming Centers have been activated for Thursday night. Shuttles are available behind First Christian Church, 1166 Oak St., from 6:30 p.m. to midnight and starting again at 6:30 a.m. to take people back downtown or to St. Vincent de Paul's Eugene Service Station.

• Wheeler Pavilion, Lane Events Center: 796 W. 13^th Ave., Eugene; site is accessible and animals are welcome; doors open at 10 p.m.

• All Night Warming at First Christian Church: 1166 Oak St., Eugene; site is accessible and animals are welcome; doors open at 11 p.m.

• Springfield Memorial Building: 765 A St., Springfield; site is accessible and animals are welcome; doors open at 6:30 p.m.

• Youth Site, First United Methodist Church: 1376 Olive, Eugene; site is accesible and animals are welcome; doors open at 6 p.m.

• Transportation Hub at First Christian Church: 1166 Oak St., Eugene; site is accessible and animals are welcome.

3 p.m. Thursday: Latest ice storm forecast

The latest National Weather Service forecast for Eugene shows freezing rain overnight until the temperature rises to about 37 degrees by 5 a.m. Friday.

Rain is expected Friday and through Tuesday.

2 p.m. Thursday: Too cold to ski?

12 p.m. Thursday: Closures

Some schools, businesses and government offices are beginning to announce early closures Thursday in anticipation of inclement weather. Here are the ones we've seen so far:

Eugene pools: All pools will have a delayed 9 a.m. opening Friday.

Lane Community College: All Lane Community College locations will be closing at 2 p.m.

Lane Council of Governments: Closing at 2 p.m.

Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles: Oregon DMV locations in Eugene, Springfield, Cottage Grove, Junction City, Florence and Oakridge will be closed Thursday through noon Friday.

State of Oregon offices: State offices in Lane County are closed through noon Friday. This does not include courts or legislative offices. Visit oregon.gov/das/ for more information on state office closures.

Willamalane: Bob Keefer Center closing at 5 p.m. Splash! closing at 3 p.m.

Willamette Family:

- Rapid Access Center closing at 3:30 p.m. - Health Clinic closing at 3:30 p.m. - Springfield (Centennial) location closing at 3:30 p.m., except for UA services. - UA services at the Springfield (Centennial) location open until 5 p.m. - Outpatient night groups are canceled. - Child Development Center closing at 3:30 p.m. - Transportation Services limited to emergency transport only. - All other services are unchanged.

10 a.m. Thursday: Snow likely

The National Weather Service's updated forecast says snow is likely before 4 p.m., and then freezing rain possibly mixed with snow. Little to no snow accumulation is expected during the day but ice accumulation is expected overnight.

Check your drive route

Heading out of town? Check the weather conditions along your route by visiting tripcheck.com or calling 511 for current road conditions first.

Consider bringing an emergency kit in your vehicle with you, just in case. Include a flashlight, snow and ice scraper, first-aid kit, blanket, food, water jumper cables and a spare tire.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon winter storm updates: Highways mostly open, clear