HOOD RIVER, Ore. — The National Weather Service has issued an Ice Storm Warning for the Columbia River Gorge from midnight Sunday until 4:00 a.m. on Tuesday.
Officials said significant icing is expected, with total accumulations of a half to one inch between river level and 2,000 feet in the upper Hood River Valley and Central Columbia River Gorge in both Oregon and Washington.
The heaviest accumulations are expected Monday morning and later in the evening. NWS says power outages and tree limbs breaking are expected because of the ice.
Travel could be very difficult. Officials strongly discourage traveling through the area until the conditions improve.
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Drivers can also call 511 or visit the Oregon Department of Transportation's Tripcheck.com or the Washington State Department Transportation website for the latest conditions, detours and traffic cameras.
The conditions with ice and high winds earlier in the week were so bad that ODOT had to close Interstate 84 from Thursday night to Saturday afternoon due to unsafe driving conditions.
I-84 itself was back open Monday, but the Historic Columbia River Highway that parallels the freeway remained closed due to multiple downed trees and ice still covering parts of the roadway, ODOT said.
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