It may be spring on the calendar, but someone forgot to tell Mother Nature. A Monday storm that dropped a few inches of snow in some areas of Clark County and as much as a foot of snow in others may have cleared out, but more snow could be on the way.
According to the National Weather Service, unseasonably cool temperatures will continue across Southwest Washington through the end of the week, bringing periods of heavy snow to the mountains and a mix of rain and snow to the valleys. That mix of rain and snow in the valleys is expected to continue into the weekend and possibly early next week.
The National Weather Service said Monday’s snowfall, the first measurable snow in the area in the month of April, totaled 12 inches near Yacolt, 11 inches in Washougal, more than 7 inches in Camas, more than 6 inches in Ridgefield and 2 to 3 inches at Pearson Field in Vancouver.
Monday’s snowfall has Waste Connections’ routes on a one-day delay for the rest of the week. For more information, visit https://wcnorthwest.com/.
The storm left downed trees and power lines in its wake, creating a web of power outages and closed roads, especially in rural areas at higher elevations. More than 28,000 Clark Public Utilities customers lost power Monday. By Tuesday morning, fewer than 500 customers were still without power, though that number had dropped to 228 by the end of the day.
“After a major event there are always a few hundred people who are the last to get the lights on. Those are the folks who live, literally, at the end of the wire, the edge of the grid, in remote places up in the hills,” Clark Public Utilities spokesman Dameon Pesanti said.
Pesanti said 30 Clark PUD crews with 130 personnel were working to get power restored and were hopeful all customers would be back online by Tuesday night.
“This storm was particularly bad because the trees were just starting to leaf out so they caught all this heavy, wet snow and it wreaked havoc on them,” Pesanti said. “We spend all year, but especially around storm season, reminding people that outages happen. As hard as we try to get them over with quickly, sometimes they last for a long time. Hopefully, people have heeded that advice and have outage kits on hand, flashlights, non-perishable food, a way to heat that food that is safe and a way for them to stay in touch.”
Clark County Public Works said its crews were expected to continue working on cleanup throughout the week.
“Cleanup is going well and should have little impact on the public traveling on county roads,” said Kaley McLachlan-Burton from Public Works.
As for more snow coming into the region, McLachlan-Burton said the county department was already working on its response.
“We are working closely with our emergency manager to determine if the forecasted weather overnight … will require special response. We expect to finalize our plans later this afternoon,” McLachlan-Burton said Tuesday.
When snow is expected to fall, and stick, she said the county sends crews out early to each section of the county with plows and sanders.
McLachlan-Burton also said county parks crews had responded to dozens of reports of downed trees, noting that crews were “fully mobilized” to keep parks and trails open and accessible.
Vancouver’s Public Works Department said its crews had responded to nearly 100 calls for downed trees, downed limbs or other debris in the roadway, according to its website. Calls were prioritized with crews first responding to major roadways that connect police, fire and emergency medical services and areas where all lanes were blocked.
Blandford Drive between MacArthur and Evergreen boulevards remains closed due to downed tree limbs and debris blocking the street. Vancouver Public Works expects the road to remain closed for several days.
Residents are reminded not to pile storm debris from their property in the street as it can be more difficult for crews working to clear the sidewalks, rights of way and streets.
In Ridgefield, crews were busy removing downed trees and branches from public property. The city also created two debris drop-off events for residents to help with the cleanup effort. The first drop-off was held Tuesday and the second will be Saturday. From 8 a.m. until 3 p.m., residents can bring trees and branches downed by the storm to the Public Works Operations Center at 487 S. 56th Place.
The city’s annual spring cleanup will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 23. Yard debris, as well as other garbage, will be accepted. For more information, go to https://ridgefieldwa.us/event/annual-spring-clean-up.
