EUGENE, Ore. — Interstate 5 reopened Monday afternoon south of Eugene after snow overnight led to an hours-long freeway closure on Monday morning.
Oregon Department of Transportation and utility crews removed a downed power line across the southbound lanes near Cottage Grove.
ODOT says drivers should expect some single lane closures in spots as trees and debris may still be present. Drivers should be prepared for winter driving conditions
Highway 58, west of Oakridge, was also shut down after heavy snow brought down power lines and trees. An avalanche two miles west of Santiam Pass has closed Highway 20 in both directions.
Snow also caused delays or closures of highways from I-5 that cross the Cascades and the Coast Range.
The National Weather Service reported late Monday morning that Eugene had a foot of snow and Cottage Grove to the south 14 inches.
While snow in Portland was expected to melt by Monday afternoon, the center of the storm was in Lane County, which reached north to Salem, according to KGW meteorologist Rod Hill.
The conditions shut down government offices in Lane and Douglas counties.
In Eugene, more than a foot of snow settled on neighborhoods, and brought down trees and utility lines. Shawn Litson, an electrician with chainsaw skills, cleared a tree off of a crushed pickup truck after his boss told him to take the day off and volunteer to help.
“I’m seeing chaos, there’s a lot of trees and debris down everywhere,” Litson said. “The snow’s real heavy and it’s just bringing everything down.”
Another, much larger elm damaged at least two cars a few blocks away. College students heard it crash down outside their home.
“Everyone in the house heard it, a big crash. And then there were car alarms going off," said one student. “I was just really hoping it wasn’t mine, and I feel bad for the people whose cars are ruined.”
The University of Oregon shut down their campus for the day. In Corvallis, classes were delayed until noon. The Eugene School District canceled classes.
At homes near the UO campus, students partied it up and held big snowball fights, to celebrate the snow day.
Linn-Benton Community College in Albany and schools in that city shut down for the day as did the Corvallis and Salem-Keizer school districts.
Here is video of a roof collapse in Eugene.
