BEND, Ore. (AP) — A heavy, wet snowfall in central Oregon turned highways slick and triggered numerous electrical outages from downed power lines. The storm also delayed or canceled classes around the area.
The Deschutes County sheriff’s office reported that the county 911 center lost power and phones for more than an hour Tuesday morning. An emergency operations center was set up and some 911 calls were diverted to the Oregon State Police in Medford.
Bend Airport reported 612 inches of snow in 24 hours while as much as 9 inches was reported west of Bend. The area east of Prineville got about 4 inches of snow.
Early Tuesday, Pacific Power said nearly 11,000 Central Oregon customers had lost power at some point. By late Tuesday night, KTVZ reported the number of people still without electricity was down to about 5,000.
