Slick conditions and black ice could be a problem again for commuters Wednesday morning in the Eugene-Springfield area, where meteorologists say it’s a coin flip whether there will be noticeable snow at the lowest elevations.
The icy roads led to crashes Tuesday morning around Lane County, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation, which also has been responding to multiple landslides and trees falling on the roads due to the heavy rain the past several days.
Any roads that remained wet going into Tuesday night could reform into black ice and make driving more hazardous Wednesday morning, National Weather Service meteorologist Jon Bonk said.
The higher hills surrounding Eugene and Springfield are more likely to receive snow, especially above 500 to 700 feet in elevation, Bonk said. At the river-level areas, it’s closer to a 50-50 chance of snow reaching the ground.
One of the deciding factors on whether snow falls will be if warmer southern winds blow in to keep the precipitation as rain, he said.
“It’s somewhat better than a coin flip, but not a slam dunk,” he said. “The tricky part with all of this is going to be the temperatures, do we get enough cloud cover early enough and enough warm temperature.”
The slick roads are another hazard for drivers, after Lane County has had multiple landslides and downed trees closing roads and delaying traffic the past several days.
Previous coverage:Highway 101 reopen after landslide near Florence
Snow is most likely to fall between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m., Bonk said. Forecasts show snow level to be at 1,000 feet Tuesday night in Eugene, with a low of 34 degrees, and little to no accumulation expected.
Much heavier snow is expected in the Willamette Pass through the Cascade mountains, where 5 to 9 inches of new snow are expected Wednesday.
Snow is not forecast to the west, in the coast range around Mapleton, where rain is expected with a possible thunderstorm after 1 p.m.
Black ice an issue on area roads
The city of Eugene did not issue a snow/ice emergency for the wintery conditions Tuesday morning, but the city’s public works department advised people to drive slowly and leave plenty of space between vehicles, and city crews have been applying deicer around town.
Black ice was an issue across the Willamette and lower Columbia River valleys Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service, and it should melt around midday or by the afternoon.
All lanes of Highway 126 West were shut down due to a crash reported around 7:40 a.m. Tuesday 4 miles west of Walton at milepost 29. One lane was reopened at around 9 a.m. and cars are now being flagged through, according to Oregon Department of Transportation spokeswoman Angela Beers Seydel.
Closures:Lane County school districts closed or delayed due to weather conditions
It’ the second day in a row the highway was shut down, following two accidents on Monday.
Highway 126 was the only major road closure Tuesday, but there have been many morning crashes throughout the county.
“There were crashes all over the region this morning; black ice, freezing fog, it was a really rough drive for a lot of people,” Beers Seydel said.
She advised drivers to avoid traveling and stay home if they can, and said ODOT is hoping roads dry out enough to apply deicing materials Tuesday.
“That’s what we’re hoping is things will dry out and can get on top of it,” she said.
Louis Krauss covers breaking news for The Register-Guard. Contact him at lkrauss@registerguard.com, and follow him on Twitter @LouisKraussNews
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