Winter snow, cold slam Northwest
Roads closed, people forced to seek shelter
SEATTLE — 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, Calif., 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.
“I’m not even willing to stay in it right now. It’s just so difficult,” she said of her tent Monday.
Snow showers began in the Northwest on Sunday from the Gulf of Alaska, dumping up to 6 inches 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 in Seattle on Monday, breaking a record set in 1968. Bellingham, Wash., plunged to 7 degrees 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, Ore., 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 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.
“This is a somber reminder that cold weather is dangerous for anyone outside who does not have the right gear to stay dry and warm,” 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 percent full Monday night, with 339 people. “We had about 100 beds free, but also expect more people to seek shelter with colder temps and snow,” Kate Yeiser, a spokesperson for the county, said Tuesday.