PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — With spring snow in the forecast, transportation officials in Portland and Oregon are warning drivers to use caution when hitting the roads starting Friday morning through the weekend.
PBOT says there will be some issues with this spring wintry storm since it’s expected to start with rain, which prevents them from pre-treating roads with de-icer as it will wash away. As a result, PBOT is telling drivers to be prepared for worse conditions with the forecasts coming in with uncertainty.
Officials recommend that should drivers hit the road, they should carry an emergency kit with food, water and warm clothing in their vehicles in the event they need it.
Although the state deadline to remove snow tires is on March 31, the Cascades and Coast Range passes are expected to get slammed with snow during this storm. The Oregon Department of Transportation says it has all the plows and sanders ready and in place to keep the roads open, but there’s still no guarantee.
“If we see dangerous conditions on the road, if we see a pile-up that causes the road to be shut down, we will close the road until we can get it open and safe again,” Don Hamilton, an ODOT spokesperson, told KOIN 6 News.
TripCheck.com remains one of the best bets to see road conditions in real-time across the state of Oregon.
Brief snow and/or hail storms could create hazardous travel conditions in Portland on Friday, with elevations of 500 feet or higher seeing snow.