2024’s first wintry weather kept its grip on Southwest Washington into Wednesday afternoon though the National Weather Service’s Ice Storm Warning expired at noon.
“Significant icing. Additional ice accumulations of a up to 0.05 inch,” the agency said in a 8 a.m. update. “Power outages and tree damage are likely due to the ice. Travel could be difficult. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning commute.”
At 2 p.m. temperatures across Southwest Washington were inching above freezing for the first time in days. Highs in the high 30s to low 40s are still expected today in parts of Clark County today. Rain is expected to continue into the evening with winds picking up as well.
The Ice Storm Warnings remains in effect until 4 p.m. for the Upper Hood River Valley, the Western Columbia River Gorge and Central Columbia River Gorge.
Clark Public Utilities saw a number of outages today, with almost 15,000 customers recently restored about 4 p.m. and another 2,500 without power. Report outages at www.clarkpublicutilities.com/outages-safety.
Most school districts in Southwest Washington were closed today. Any further closures or delays will be announced at www.columbian.com/school-closures.
C-Tran has reported significant issues due to icy roads. All Express routes are suspended for today, C-Tran said on its website. “All other routes are significantly disrupted due to extremely icy conditions. Buses are available at all major transit centers.”
Check c-tran.com for specifics and updates.
Interstate 84 in Oregon remains closed between Troutdale at Milepost 17 and Hood River at Milepost 64, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Both directions of state Highway 14 are restricted to freight vehicles over 10,000 gross vehicle weight between Evergreen Boulevard, Milepost 19, east of Washougal and the Hood River Bridge, Milepost 65, near White Salmon. There is no estimated time for lifting the restriction.
Officials are advising people to limit travel and carry emergency supplies if they must go out. Check road conditions at The Columbian’s live traffic map. For the latest on highways across Washington, visit wsdot.com/travel/real-time or follow WSDOT on Twitter. In Oregon, visit tripcheck.com.
The city of Vancouver was closed to in-person services Tuesday and will be again today. Visit www.cityofvancouver.us and click on Winter Weather Response for more information on closures or to report issues.
Clark County offices were closed to in-person services Tuesday and will be again today.
Down trees, broken pipes and other maintenance issues in parks can be reported to Clark County Public Works using its web form at clark.wa.gov/public-works/report-park-road. Report down trees on roads by calling 564-397-2446.
Clark County Superior Court is closed for in-person services except for adult and juvenile first-appearance dockets, which will be held in person. All other dockets will be canceled and rescheduled. Any jurors who were required to appear today will be required to appear Thursday.
Clark County District Court will be closed to in-person services Wednesday. However, all dockets will be held virtually via Zoom. Links will be available on the District Court website.
