School closures, road conditions, power outages

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch for the Willamette Valley for snow and ice that could disrupt work, school and travel on Thursday and Friday.

Power outages are also possible.

The warnings began Wednesday night and are expected to stay in place until Friday morning, with the greatest impact expected between Salem and Portland.

Snow and ice greeted Eugene area residents early Thursday morning, with travel difficult on many roadways.

Check back here to follow the latest updates.

Grocery stores and restaurants adjust hours during winter snow

Before heading out, call your local grocery store to check their hours. Some stores in Eugene adjust their schedules during winter weather or close entirely if staff members can’t make it in. Smaller stores like Sundance, The Kiva, and Red Barn may have last-minute changes, while larger chains such as Safeway on 18th and Albertsons on Coburg remain open with regular hours.

If you’d rather avoid a grocery run in the snow, dining out or ordering takeout is an option. Some restaurants, including Evergreen Indian Cuisine, Fisherman’s Market, and Noisette Pastry Kitchen, are open today. However, it’s always a good idea to call ahead to confirm their hours and staffing.

-Samantha Pierotti

Snow coming on ‘faster than expected’ but ice forecast holding

Meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Portland said snow and some ice is being reported a bit earlier than expected in the southern and central Willamette Valley including Eugene, Corvallis-Albany and Salem.

The system of snow and rain should reach McMinnville soon and the Portland metro area later this morning, said meteorologist David Bishop.

The forecast hasn’t changed dramatically — around 1.5 inches of snow and between a tenth to a quarter inch of ice is still forecast valley-wide between Thursday and Friday morning, he said.

Oregon Capitol closed, legislative sessions, committee meetings canceled

Legislative committee meetings and House and Senate floor sessions scheduled for Thursday have been at the Oregon Capitol.

Building administrators sent notice that the Capitol was closing at 8:30 a.m. Any information about reopening will be communicated by email.

Meantime, no entry to the Capitol will be possible.

Winter Weather Disrupted Flights at Eugene Airport

Winter weather on Feb. 13 brought snowfall to much of Eugene, causing disruptions at the Eugene Mahlon Sweet Field Airport

The airport issued a winter weather advisory warning travelers of snow and freezing conditions, urging them to check with their airline for flight status updates before heading to the airport.

Departures were significantly impacted. The 7:34 a.m. Alaska Airlines Flight 3330 to Los Angeles (LAX) was canceled, and all other morning departures were delayed.

As of 8:20 a.m., the following departures had been delayed:

• 5:00 a.m. Delta Flight 4128 to Seattle (SEA) – delayed until 9:00 a.m.

• 5:00 a.m. United Flight 1435 to Denver (DEN) – delayed until 10:00 a.m.

• 5:30 a.m. American Airlines Flight 3085 to Phoenix (PHX) – delayed until 10:30 a.m.

• 5:50 a.m. Delta Flight 3708 to Salt Lake City (SLC) – delayed until 9:00 a.m.

• 6:00 a.m. United Flight 2259 to San Francisco (SFO) – delayed until 10:00 a.m.

• 6:20 a.m. Southwest Flight 698 to Oakland (OAK) – delayed until 10:00 a.m.

• 8:40 a.m. Alaska Airlines Flight 132 to Seattle (SEA) – delayed until 10:00 a.m.

• 12:00 p.m. Southwest Flight 3062 to Sacramento (SMF) – delayed until 12:35 p.m.

• 2:30 p.m. Southwest Flight 1417 to Las Vegas (LAS) – delayed until 5:43 p.m.

Arrivals were also affected:

• 10:55 a.m. Delta Flight 4149 from Seattle (SEA) – delayed until 2:00 p.m.

• 10:15 a.m. Southwest Flight 4093 from San Jose (SJC) – delayed until 11:50 a.m.

• 12:00 p.m. American Airlines Flight 1774 from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) – delayed until 2:47 p.m.

• 4:47 p.m. Allegiant Flight 1602 from Santa Ana (SNA) – delayed until 5:32 p.m.

Travelers were advised to check flight status updates through their airlines or visit www.eugene-or.gov/1826/Flight-Status.

-Hannarose McGuinness

PeaceHealth hospital, clinic updates

PeaceHealth sent out a release Thursday morning detailing clinic delays but assured that the hospital in Springfield would operate as normal.

Despite the inclement weather, all surgeries and operations will proceed as scheduled at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend, according to PeaceHealth. Hospital operations at Cottage Grove Community Medical Center and Peace Harbor Medical Center are also unchanged.

All PeaceHealth Medical Group clinics in Eugene, Springfield and Cottage Grove were set to open at noon, extending their original delay. According to PeaceHealth, this delay extends to all primary care, pediatrics, specialty, urgent care, and walk-in clinics.

Hours may change throughout the day. Patients with previously scheduled appointments will be contacted to reschedule. Florence-area clinics are unaffected.

-Miranda Cyr

Power outages reported around Eugene

A winter storm brought snowy weather to Eugene in the early morning hours of Valentine’s Day Eve. While nowhere near as intense as the January Ice Storm of 2024, some customers of the Eugene Water & Electric Board are seeing power outages due to this weather.

As of 7:45 a.m. Thursday morning, EWEB’s outage map listed nine power outages across the utility’s 236-square-mile service territory. There were 341 customers impacted out of the more than 200,000 people residing in EWEB’s service territory.

The largest confirmed outage areas are off River Road by James Madison Middle School, where 123 customers were without power and off Willamette Street between W. 31st Ave. and W. 37th Ave, where about 46 customers in the area had no power.

The largest unconfirmed outage spans from Lawrence Street to Olive Street and from W. 12th Alley to E. 15th Ave. Ninety-two customers were included in this outage area.

There was no information on the number of customers whose power has been restored in the past 24 hours or the number of outages with crews assigned.

-Hannarose McGuinness

University of Oregon, Lane Community College, Bushnell University affected by weather

The University of Oregon sent out an alert Thursday morning stating that classes, services, and events on the Eugene campus would be delayed until 10 a.m.

“Campus community members should use their best judgement in assessing the risk of coming to campus,” UO Alerts stated. ” Walkways may not be clear. Public transportation may be delayed.”

The UO Portland campus is closed on Thursday due to the weather.

For more information on UO delays and closures, visit safety.uoregon.edu/alerts.

Lane Community College’s Eugene campus confirmed it would also be closed Thursday.

LCC’s Cottage Grove and Florence campuses are delaying their opening until 10:00 a.m. More information can be found at lanecc.edu/weather.

Bushnell University announced it would be closed Thursday as well.

-Miranda Cyr

Snow, ice cover Eugene area roads as ODOT urges caution

Snow and ice coated roads in and around Eugene early Thursday, prompting warnings from the Oregon Department of Transportation for drivers to stay off the roads unless travel was unavoidable.

“We are ready for whatever this week and weekend could bring,” ODOT spokesperson Mindy McCartt said during a Thursday news conference.

McCartt urged residents to use public transportation if available and to take precautions if they must drive. “If you must go out, be prepared,” she said.

She advised drivers to slow down, increase following distance, ensure their vehicles are winter-ready, and clear snow from windows before hitting the road. Checking conditions ahead of time is also key.

McCartt also warned that bridges freeze before other roadways and thaw last, making them especially hazardous.

“We will likely have a clear picture of the impacts to traffic as the day progresses,” she said.

-Isabel Funk

School district delays, closures

A number of schools in the area announced late starts and other delays due to the winter weather.

Eugene School District 4J schools were closed, with only emergency staff called in to work.

Schools in the McKenzie, Pleasant Hill and Springfield districts were all closed as well. All after-school activities and evening athletic events were postponed.

The South Lane School District’s schools were slated to start two hours late, with morning buses on snow routes. The Lowell district announced a similar plan, with a two-hour delay, including the Mountain View and Bridge charter schools.

Officials with the Willamette Leadership Academy planned to open two hours late.

In the Fern Ridge District, school was closed until at least noon. District officials announced they would provide an update later in the morning.

Schools were closed in Junction City and in Mapleton, as well as Marcola.

The Crow-Applegate-Lorane district announced it had canceled all classes and after-school activities. Schools were also closed in Harrisburg and in the Blachly district.

-David DeMille

Cold temps drive power demand around Eugene to record levels; EWEB crews on alert for ice

The Eugene Water & Electric Board said the utility saw its highest energy demand since 2017 on Tuesday morning. Crews were on standby for the Wednesday night forecast.

EWEB said crews were “preparing for any possible outages.” A “wintry mix” of snow and ice was forecast to begin falling in Eugene Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service.

Forecasts say the storm will be milder than the 2024 ice storm when a total of 38,000 EWEB customers lost power at some point. The forecast calls for a mix of freezing rain and snow Wednesday night and freezing rain Thursday, which could lead to ice accumulation on tree limbs and cause downlines and power outages.

Oregon power outage map

Oregon weather alerts map

Eugene to Salem: Winter storm watch issued

The warning in place for Eugene to Salem, and the rest of the southern and central Willamette Valley, began at 10 p.m. Wednesday and is in place until Friday morning. In this area, the system could bring “total snow accumulations up to one inch and ice accumulations of one quarter of an inch possible,” NWS said.

In general, the more northerly areas around Salem are expected to see the greatest impact. It’s expected to get warmer sooner in Eugene.

“Winter precipitation is expected to begin Wednesday night, starting in the south and pushing northward,” NWS wrote. “Precipitation will initially begin as mixed freezing rain and snow Wednesday night, transitioning over primarily to freezing rain on Thursday. Significant ice accumulations will be possible, impacting the Thursday morning commute.

“Precipitation will transition over to primarily freezing rain by Thursday midday. Due to areas of freezing rain, power outages are possible.”

Should Oregonians warm up their cars in cold weather?

Oregonians may be waking up to bitter cold temperatures this week, but despite a commonly held belief, your car doesn’t need to warm up on cold mornings, especially if it was manufactured after 1980, according to Firestone Complete Auto Care.

Before 1980, most cars had carburetors, a car part that regulates the air-fuel mixture in an engine.

Idling your engine could damage your engine’s pistons, decrease your car’s fuel efficiency and hurt the environment, according to Firestone.

So for your car’s safety, cancel the warming-up-the-car routine.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon winter storm updates: Eugene area closures, delays, forecast