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'So difficult': Winter snow, cold slam Northwest and Sierra

Posted December 28, 2021 6:00 am

By MANUEL VALDES

Glenbrook Basin and Loma Rica Ranch remain covered in about a foot of snowfall, Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021, in Grass Valley, Calif. Snow, ice and unseasonable cold in the Pacific Northwest and the Sierra Nevada are continuing to disrupt traffic, cause closures and force people to find refuge in emergency warming shelters. (Elias Funez/The Union via AP) The Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) - The Pacific Northwest and Sierra Nevada grappled Tuesday with another day of snow, ice and unseasonable cold that has disrupted traffic, caused closures and forced people to find refuge in emergency warming shelters.

Across western Washington and Oregon, officials and private groups opened emergency spaces for people as forecasters said the extreme cold from an arctic blast that blew in Sunday could last until the weekend.

Farther south, part of the main highway from San Francisco to Reno remained closed Tuesday for a third day due to record-setting snow in the Lake Tahoe area after a winter storm blasted across northern California and Nevada.

Snow-choked Interstate 80 shut down Sunday from the Nevada state line to Placer County, California, although Caltrans said U.S. 50 reopened late Monday for vehicles with chains or four-wheel drive.

And with temperatures in normally mild Seattle dropping well below freezing, Kaety West walked a short distance in the snow from the tent where she usually stays to find refuge at a small warming center at an American Legion hall.

'œI'm not even willing to stay in it right now. It's just so difficult,'ť she said of her tent on Monday.

Snow showers began in the Northwest on Sunday from the Gulf of Alaska, dumping up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) across the Seattle area. Another storm dropped more snow in western Washington and Oregon late Monday and Tuesday.

The region continued to break daily cold records. The National Weather Service said the low was 17 degrees F (-8.3 C) in Seattle on Monday, breaking a record set in 1968. Bellingham, Washington, plunged to 7 F (-13.9 C) on Monday, tying a record set in 1968.

In Seattle, the city said garbage pickup was canceled for Tuesday, as side streets remained treacherous. And another round of snow was predicted for the Seattle and Portland, Oregon, areas on Thursday.

State officials in Oregon have declared an emergency. In Multnomah County - home to Portland - about a half dozen weather shelters were open.

On Tuesday, county officials said a resident died from exposure to cold temperatures on Saturday, KGW-TV reported. The person who died was not homeless but was found unresponsive outdoors, according to a news release from Multnomah County. No further information was released.

'œThis is a somber reminder that cold weather is dangerous for anyone outside who does not have the right gear to stay dry and warm,'ť county health officer Dr. Jennifer Vines said.

Seattle city leaders opened at least six severe weather shelters and the mayor declared an emergency. On Tuesday, King County Executive Dow Constantine also issued an emergency proclamation because of severe winter storm conditions.

Warming shelters in Oregon's Multnomah County were around 75% full on Monday night, with 339 people.

'œWe had about 100 beds free, but also expect more people to seek shelter with colder temps and snow,'ť Kate Yeiser, a spokesperson for the county, said Tuesday.

Utilities reported about 5,000 customers without power Tuesday morning, mostly in southwestern Oregon.

Two snowmobilers died in an avalanche in the mountains north of Yellowstone National Park, where about 3 feet (1 meter) of snow had fallen over the past week, the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center said. The avalanche Monday brought down snow about 5 feet (1.5 meters) deep and approximately 300 feet (91 meters) wide, burying two of the four riders.

At Donner Pass in the Sierra, officials with the University of California, Berkeley's Central Sierra Snow Laboratory on Monday said recent snowfall has smashed the snowiest December record of 179 inches (4.6 meters), set in 1970. The record is now 193.7 inches (4.9 meters) as more snow is expected.

The snowpack in the Sierra was at dangerously low levels after recent weeks of dry weather but the state Department of Water Resources reported on Monday that the snowpack was between 145% and 161% of normal across the range with more snow expected, which will help in a region experiencing a protracted drought.

With temperatures in western Washington and Oregon not forecast to rise above freezing for days, officials were planning on keeping emergency shelters for longer than initially expected.

Seattle leaders said city shelters will remain open through the new year. At the shelter where West went to get warm, American Legion Hall Post 160, there was room for about a dozen people.

Keith Hughes of the American Legion said the capacity is limited by lack of volunteer staff.

'œVolunteers, this is a problem for myself as well as everyone else in town, it's really hard to get with COVID going on,'ť he said, adding there were plans to keep the space open for about 10 days. 'œThe longer it goes on the harder it's going to be on people that don't have a place to get out of this.'ť

___

Associated Press writers Ken Ritter in Las Vegas and Sara Cline in Portland, Oregon contributed.

A woman turns back to eye gulls surrounding her hoping for a treat as she walks in a snow-covered park Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021, in Bellingham, Wash. Snow, ice and unseasonable cold in the Pacific Northwest and the Sierra Nevada are continuing to disrupt traffic, cause closures and force people to find refuge in emergency warming shelters. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) The Associated Press

On a very cold morning V.F.W. Post 5878 member Bob Penrod clears the snow in front of the Tenino, Wash., post, Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021, along with an adjacent beauty shop as winter weather strengthens its grip in the region. (Steve Bloom/The Olympian via AP) The Associated Press

A vehicle is stuck in the snow along Brunswick Road and Sutton Way Monday morning, Dec. 27, 2021, in Grass Valley, Calif. (Elias Funez/The Union via AP) The Associated Press

Titus Gonzalez goes airborne after hitting a bump while sledding where nearly a foot of snow fell over the weekend, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in a city park in Bellingham, Wash. Sunday's snow showers blew into the Pacific Northwest from the Gulf of Alaska, dumping up to 6 inches across the Seattle area. More than a foot was reported near Port Angeles across the Puget Sound on the Olympic Peninsula. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) The Associated Press

Kaety West sits outside the warming center set up at the West Seattle American Legion Hall Post 160, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Seattle. West is among a dozen or so people seeking shelter at the center after a cold front brought snow and freezing temperatures to the Pacific Northwest. The hall's commander said the shelter's capacity is limited by the number of volunteers, which have decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes) The Associated Press

While snowfall was picturesque in places such as along Broad Street in Nevada City, Calif., it was dangerous for many others who were without electricity or stuck in the snow. (Elias Funez/The Union via AP) The Associated Press

Spring Street in Nevada City, calif., was socked in with snow and downed tree limbs, on Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. (Elias Funez/The Union via AP) The Associated Press

Stuck motorists are seen along Brunswick Road as heavy snow continues to fall early Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Grass Valley, Calif. (Elias Funez/The Union via AP) The Associated Press

Historic buildings were illuminated solely by its picturesque gas lamps Monday night, Dec. 27, 2021, in downtown Nevada City, Calif., as power outages continue to plague Nevada County. Snow, ice and unseasonable cold in the Pacific Northwest and the Sierra Nevada are continuing to disrupt traffic, cause closures and force people to find refuge in emergency warming shelters. (Elias Funez/The Union via AP) The Associated Press

Civilian road crews work to help clear a downed tree and utility lines that block Squirrel Creek Road following a snowstorm, Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 28,2021, in Grass Valley, Calif. (Elias Funez/The Union via AP) The Associated Press

Apollo Leonard hefts his bike through snow too deep to ride in after stopping while out for a winter ride, Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021, in Bellingham, Wash. Snow, ice and unseasonable cold in the Pacific Northwest and the Sierra Nevada are continuing to disrupt traffic, cause closures and force people to find refuge in emergency warming shelters. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) The Associated Press

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