Winter storm whips across Western U.S.
Even cities known for mild temps feel icy cold
PORTLAND, Ore. — Snow, ice and shivering cold blasted normally mild cities from Seattle to San Francisco on Tuesday as winter weather swept across the West, shuttering schools, making travel treacherous and closing all roads in Yosemite National Park.
Storms have hit the West for several days, bringing a surprise dusting to peaks overlooking San Francisco — the city’s first notable snow in eight years. Yosemite’s ski area closed, restaurants had shorter hours and shuttles were not running because of snow-covered roads.
“It’s beautiful and we certainly need the snow, but we’re asking people to stay indoors,” park spokesman Scott Gediman said.
In Seattle, temperatures plunged into the teens overnight, making roads slick and closing area schools for a second day. Unusual snow fell a day earlier, causing crashes and canceling flights, and lower-than-normal temperatures were expected for the week.
Rare snow and cold also walloped Portland, Oregon. An unexpected overnight snowfall closed schools and left some higher elevation roads slick for the morning commute.
Natalie Razey, 9, of Lake Oswego, Oregon, said when flurries started Monday, her teacher shared some advice for ensuring a snow day Tuesday.
“Our teacher let us do a snow dance while it was snowing at school yesterday, and I flushed ice cubes down the toilet and I put spoons under my pillow,” she said during a break from sledding and snowball fights.
In Nevada, more than 3 feet had fallen at the top of some Lake Tahoe ski resorts in the last 24 hours, bringing the snow total to 6 feet since Saturday.
In Utah, a tractor-trailer slid off a highway in a canyon and hit a deputy, sending him to the hospital with serious injuries and closing the road. The unnamed Rich County sheriff ’s deputy is expected to survive.
Montana residents familiar with the cold braved a third day of subzero temperatures and biting wind chill.
Wind and fresh snow led officials to warn of high avalanche danger in southwestern Montana near Yellowstone National Park, and an avalanche warning was in place for the Centennial Mountains in eastern Idaho.
The region, which also includes northwestern Wyoming, was expecting up to 8 more inches of mountain snow by Wednesday.