Folks dreaming of a white Christmas this year had to settle for the next best thing: a blanket of fresh snow that greeted the Canby area on Boxing Day morning. More of the white stuff fell Sunday night, with 2 to 4 inches accumulating in Canby and the surrounding areas.
It was just enough for people to get out and play, without causing any major disruptions in Canby, according to City Administrator Scott Archer and Police Chief Jorge Tro.
“Nothing significant to report,” Archer told The Canby Current Monday. “Public Works sanded this morning and will do so again as needed for the next round of snow and freezing temps. We continue to monitor for bad spots that need attention.”
While the more heavily traveled city streets stayed clear, the rural roads in the surrounding countryside were made much more treacherous by the snow and ice that formed in the freezing temperatures, with forecasts predicting overnight temps in the low 20s and high teens through early next week.
“It has been a challenge because the road conditions were terrible in some parts of the district, like Central Point Road and Carus Road,” Canby Fire Chief Jim Davis said.
Because the conditions were so disparate between the city and county byways, Canby Fire was forced to put chains on one medical unit and fire engine for responding to rural calls, while leaving one set unchained for Canby calls.
“It does slow us down a lot anytime we have to respond with chained-up engines,” Davis said Tuesday. “But we are going to leave them chained with anticipation of ice tonight.”
The chief reported a steady stream of typical medical calls but no major crashes or storm-related issues.
“We had a lot of calls from cars that slid off the road, but they were just calls for help,” Davis said. “No really serious injuries.”
Zoar Lutheran opened on Christmas Day as a 24-hour warming shelter for those in need and will remain available anytime temperatures hit 33 degrees or lower. Zoar is located at 190 Southwest 3rd Avenue and can be reached at 503-266-4061.
“Zoar has done an outstanding job,” Davis said. “Hats off to them for taking caring of people and getting them out of the cold.”
The Molalla Warming Center at 209 Kennel Avenue and The Father’s Heart Street Ministry at 603 12th Street in Oregon City are also open as overnight shelters. More information on warming centers throughout the region can be found on Clackamas County’s website at clackamas.us/relief.