Freezing rain overnight turned into new snowfall, potentially leading to hazardous icy roads Friday morning.
BEAVERTON, Ore — Portland Public Schools, the Beaverton School District, the Salem-Keizer School District and dozens of other districts across western Oregon preemptively canceled classes Friday, citing the winter storm that continues to have widespread snowfall Friday morning.
Beaverton School District was the first to announce a cancellation late Thursday afternoon, with several other Washington County districts following suit soon after and most of the other big northwest Oregon districts joining in by around 6:30 p.m. Several smaller districts and private schools have also announced closures for Friday, as have several colleges.
Other districts that initially opted for 2-hour delays announced full closures on Friday morning, including Vancouver School district in Clark County, and the Castle Rock School District in Cowlitz County and the Castle Rock School District in Cowlitz County and the Mill A and Stevenson-Carson districts in the Columbia River Gorge.
What to expect Friday
Solid snow is expected to fall in the region through the Friday morning commute, with all precipitation ending by 10 a.m. Temperatures are expected to rise slightly above freezing, will help start the process of melting snow and ice on the roads.
Overnight freezing rain and new snowfall could set up slick road conditions, especially in the high elevations, Friday morning. Drivers should be prepared to stay off the roads, if possible, and use extra caution when traveling. Parents should keep an eye out for school cancellation notifications.
What happened Thursday
It only snowed for about four hours in Portland in the morning, but that was enough wreak havoc across the metro area with dozens of flights canceled and a series of transit delays, particularly to the east.
PPS, Beaverton and Salem Keizer were among more than 200 others across northwest Oregon that canceled classes Thursday ahead of the snowstorm. Overnight, a round of freezing rain turned to snowfall leaving a fresh layers of snow on roads Friday morning.