Central Oregon is in the crosshairs of a winter storm that could dump more than a half-foot of snow on some parts of the region.
The crest of the Cascades could see as much as two feet of snow during a storm that currently runs from Thursday at noon through 10 p.m. Friday.
Central Oregon Daily News Chief Meteorologist Dorrell Wenninger said accumulating snow is expected for most of the region and travel will be difficult to impossible at times.
“At this point, it doesn’t look like it’s going to be another snowpocalypse, but some people will have difficulty traveling,” Wenninger said. “And it’s setting up to be a back to back winter snow system scenario that by the end of the weekend we could have some extreme totals.”
He said it’s too soon to predict what those totals might be, but the new system is expected to sweep through the region beginning Saturday.
Snowfall will vary, he said, with Bend, Redmond and Madras expected to get more than 6 inches.
Sisters could get more than a foot, while Warm Springs is expected to get about 10 inches.
For updated forecasts, travel cams and more, visit the Central Oregon Daily News weather page.
The City asks for the community’s help in advance of the winter storm by having all vehicles, trailers, garbage cans, etc., off of the street to help with snow plowing efforts. It is also helpful when shoveling sidewalks to place the snow on the house side of the sidewalk, not back into the street.
The City’s plan addresses how to deal with certain problematic streets where on-street parking during particularly heavy snowfall has contributed to increasingly narrow and sometimes impassable roads. These are called “emergency snow zones.” During declared snow emergencies, the City will ask that “emergency snow zone” marked streets be cleared of parked cars, to help us plow from curb to curb. Emergency snow zones are:
- Wall Street (Portland Avenue to Colorado Avenue)
- Bond Street (Wall Street to Colorado Avenue)
- Chandler Avenue (Mt. Washington Drive to Century Drive)
- NE Courtney Drive (27th Street to Conners Avenue)
- NE Conners Avenue (27th Street to Courtney Drive)
- NW Broadway Street (Franklin Avenue / Riverside Boulevard to Colorado Avenue)
- NW Tumalo Avenue (Riverside Boulevard to Broadway Street)
- 17th Street & Troon Avenue (Galveston Avenue to Mt. Washington Drive)
“If you don’t need to travel this weekend, it is recommended to stay off of the roads in this upcoming storm,” said David Abbas, Bend’s Transportation & Mobility Director. “Thanks for your help and readiness to get through this upcoming winter storm together as a community. Don’t forget to help your neighbors who could use a hand, too.”
