Winter weather slams Washington, Oregon, California

A thaw-out is coming for frozen Seattle and Portland, Oregon, but not before another round of snow that could compound problems for a region more accustomed to winter rain than arctic blasts.

More snow and rain fell on California on Wednesday, causing travel disruptions on mountain routes and raising the risk of debris flows from wildfire burn scars.

And in Nevada the governor plans to declare a state of emergency due to snow and storm conditions affecting travel in the Lake Tahoe area of northern Nevada.

Forecasters say parts of western Washington could see up to 3 inches of snow Thursday, and northwestern Oregon could see a similar amount.

The normally temperate part of the Pacific Northwest has shivered with temperatures hitting the single digits in some areas this week after extreme cold air from Canada’s Fraser River Valley blew in on Sunday.

Snow and ice have made travel treacherous in some parts, forced closures and travel delays and prompted people to take shelter in emergency warming centers.

The weather and the pandemic have forced the cancellation of nearly 1,300 flights into and out of Seattle-tacoma International Airport since Sunday. The situation has been acute in Alaska, where hundreds of passengers, many from coastal villages, have been stranded in the town of Bethel because of bad weather and illequipped airports.

Temperatures rose above freezing Thursday in Seattle and were even warmer in Portland, before airflow from the Pacific blows in on the weekend and causes the mercury to rise to more seasonable highs in the 40s.

State officials in Oregon have declared an emergency. In Multnomah County — home to Portland — about a half dozen weather shelters were open this week. A similar number of shelters were opened in Seattle’s King County, which also declared an emergency.

Seattle leaders said city shelters will remain open through the new year.

Winter weather and a return to pre-pandemic levels of traffic have resulted in hundreds of accidents on Oregon roads this holiday season.

Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that between Dec. 23 and Dec. 28, there were 915 traffic accidents in the state.

STEVE BLOOM/THE OLYMPIAN (OLYMPIA, WASH.) VIA AP On a frigid Tuesday morning, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5878 member Bob Penrod clears snow in front of the post in Tenino, Washington, along with an adjacent beauty shop.