SEATTLE (AP) — Severe weather sweeping parts of the U.S. brought frigid temperatures to the Pacific Northwest, heavy snow to mountains in Northern California and Nevada, and unseasonable warmth to the Southeast.
Emergency warming shelters were opened throughout Oregon and western Washington as temperatures plunged into the teens, and forecasters said an arctic blast would last for several days. Sunday’s snow showers blew into the Pacific Northwest from the Gulf of Alaska, dumping up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) across the Seattle area.
More than a foot (0.3 meters) was reported near Port Angeles across the Puget Sound on the Olympic Peninsula. Portland, Oregon, also received snowfall. Frigid temperatures in the region could tie or break records in the coming days.
The National Weather Service said Seattle’s low Sunday was 20 degrees F (-6.7 C), breaking a mark set in 1948. Bellingham was 9 degrees F (-12. 8C), three degrees colder than the previous record set in 1971.
State officials in Oregon have declared an emergency. In Multnomah County – home to Portland — six severe weather shelters are open with plans to open additional sites, including at the Oregon Convention Center. Seattle city leaders also opened at least six severe weather shelters starting Saturday through at least Wednesday.
“They’re talking right now like it’s going to be, you know, four or five days before we get above freezing again,” said Keith Hughes, of West Seattle American Legion Hall Post 160, where a warming center was set up. “This is not a short event.”
Winter weather led to canceled flights in Seattle, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and elsewhere.
Blowing snow in mountains of Northern California and Nevada closed key highways, with forecasters warning that travel in the Sierra Nevada could be difficult for several days.
At Donner Pass in the Sierra, officials with the University of California, Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Laboratory on Monday said recent snowfall has smashed the snowiest December record of 179 inches (4.6 meters), set in 1970. The record is now 193.7 inches (4.9 meters) as more snow is expected.
The Northstar California Resort in Truckee closed its mountain operations on Monday amid blizzard conditions. The ski resort has received more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) of snow over the last 48 hours.
