A Banks Fire District 13 vehicles muscles through heavy snow in Buxton in March 2018. Photo from Banks Fire District 13
NW OREGON – An earlier Winter Weather Advisory has been upgraded to a more severe Winter Storm Warning from 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9.
“If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency,” reads the warning from the Portland branch of the National Weather Service.
The Storm warning says that Coast Range communities such as Vernonia and Timber, as well as Lees Camp and the Sunset Summit on Highway 26 could see 3 – 8 inches of snow on Friday evening through Saturday, and that Banks and other regions could see 2- 4 inches, with some areas receiving 4 – 6 inches of snow depending on local conditions and elevation.
According to the Portland NWS, the forecast could see temperatures drop below freezing during the evening commute, with snow starting to fall around 7 p.m. Friday and continuing until 4 p.m. on Saturday.
The Portland NWS notes that travel conditions will deteriorate quickly as temperatures drop below freezing, and calls for caution while driving and warns of low visibility during expected snowfall.
According to a media release from Washington County Land Use and Transportation (LUT), county road crews will be working through the weekend and into next week to sand, apply anti-icer material, and plow select county roads where warranted. The county maintains a map of primary routes that are plowed when snow becomes a significant problem; these roads include Gales Creek Road and Timber Road.
The weather forecast has already resulted in a host of closures, including Banks School District buildings closing at 6 p.m. Friday, and all district weekend activities being cancelled. A movie night at the Banks Public Library that had been scheduled for Friday evening, the Teen Service Saturday event, and more events have also been cancelled.
Check our ongoing list of closures, which will be updated throughout the weekend here.
Want to share your snow photos, or a weather-related hazard? Email them, with names of anyone pictured and any information and the name of the photographer, to [email protected].
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Banks Post and sister news publications the Gales Creek Journal and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
