06:10 PM PST on Friday, December 31, 2004

By ABE ESTIMADA, kgw.com Staff

Heavy snow along the northern Oregon Coast range caused numerous accidents along and the closure of Highway 6 between Portland and the beaches on Friday night.

KGW

Snow fell on Highway 26 over the Coast Range on Friday.

Also known as the Wilson River Highway, the road between milepost 29 and milepost 4.5 closed about 5:15 p.m. Oregon Department of Transportation and Oregon State Police were attempting to clear the freeway on New Year’s Eve and help troubled motorists.

The state transportation department is also requiring chains for cars on Highway 26 over the Coast Range, said spokesman Dave Thompson. They’re also required for motorists traveling Highway 26 east of Sandy.

Highway 6 and Highway 26 weren't the only places to see snow.

Loaded bands of rain dragging cold air with them fell as snow in some areas of the West Hills of Portland and southwest Washington on Friday afternoon.

It may be a sign of things to come.

The snow level could dip to 700 feet in the Portland-Vancouver metro area on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, meteorologists said. At 1,000 feet or above, snow could fall while valley floor residents may see a mixture of rain and snow that won’t stick, said KGW meteorologist Dave Salesky.

“Snow in Portland is elevation dependent,” Salesky said.

Council Crest in the West Hills of Portland is at 1,000 feet; Cooper Mountain is at 750 feet, Mount Scott is at 1,050 feet, and Mt. Tabor is at 600 feet.

Keeping much of the snow out of the Portland metro area is a thin layer of warm air over the area and the lack of cold air coming from the Columbia River Gorge, Saleksky said.

While the Willamette Valley and southwest Washington won’t bear the brunt of the snowfall, the same can’t be said about the Columbia River Gorge, central Oregon and the Cascades.

The National Weather Service issued a heavy snow warning for the eastern Gorge, where three to six inches of snow is expected, Salesky said. A snow advisory is in effect for the western Columbia Gorge. The snowfall could also reach Troutdale, Salesky said.

“The farther east you go, it will very messy in the Columbia Gorge,” he said.

Central Oregon will also get a load of snow New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Accumulations of around six inches are possible in Bend, Sunriver, Madras and surrounding areas, Salesky said.

The weather service issued snow advisories for the Coast Range and the Cascade Range in Lane County. Saleksy warned that driving conditions through the mountain passes will be dicey.

“Any of the Cascade passes or Coast Range are going to be snowy,” he said.