No serious injuries reported from dozens of accidents

A wintry blast of snow and cold closed schools in Corvallis, Philomath and Monroe on Friday and left mid-valley motorists sliding on ice-covered roadways.

The perilous driving conditions could continue at least through today, if weather forecasters' predictions hold true. There is a 50 percent chance of a mix of freezing rain and snow today, with patchy freezing fog forecast for tonight. After an overnight low of 30 degrees, it is expected to warm up Sunday, when there is a 90 percent chance of rain.

The snow hit late Thursday afternoon, quickly turning roads icy. Cold overnight temperatures meant the snow and ice stayed around, prompting public school officials to cancel Friday's classes, and leaving commuters to head back to work on slippery roads.

Police responded to dozens of weather-related crashes Thursday night and Friday morning but reported no serious injuries.

The Benton County Sheriff's Office reported that officers responded to at least 15 vehicle accidents and 30 reports of cars sliding off the road. No injuries resulted from the accidents, said Lt. Greg Ridler.

"The (deputies) that normally get off work at 3 a.m. were still here until 7:30 a.m.," Ridler said. "They were pretty exhausted when I got here in the morning."

Ridler said the areas around Northwest Springhill Drive, Scenic Drive, Highway 20W and the west hills were especially problematic.

Corvallis Police Sgt. Jim Crain said there were no major injuries related to accidents in town, but police had to close a few hilly streets until sanding trucks were able to go through.

Hillside streets near Circle Boulevard, Witham Hill Drive, Northwest Ponderosa Avenue and Northwest Audene Avenue were shut down most of the night, he added.

"There were some minor bumps and bruises," Crain said. "All we could do in most cases was show up, make sure people exchanged information and then go on to the next one."

Despite sanding and plowing of major roads Thursday night, icy roads continued to cause problems Friday. At about 9 a.m. Friday, a six-car pileup was reported on Highway 20 west of Philomath at the foot of a hill near Mary's River Estates.

Corvallis resident Lizanne Southgate said she was driving north on Southwest Brooklane Drive at 8:30 a.m. Friday when she slid on the ice and into a ditch, hitting a fire hydrant.

"There were a lot of cars sliding on the ice," Southgate said. "Most of them gave up and went down 35th Street."

Southgate said two Good Samaritans stopped to help her. A man in a white SUV stopped to see if she was OK and a bicyclist pushed her car out of the ditch.

Between 4 and 5 p.m. Friday, police and sheriff's deputies responded to three accidents, in Philomath, Corvallis and Blodgett, involving vehicles that rolled over after sliding on ice.

Oregon State University and Linn-Benton Community College operated as usual on Friday. But evening classes at the Benton Center, an LBCC satellite campus in Corvallis, were canceled Thursday because of the snow.

Schoolchildren in the Corvallis, Philomath and Monroe districts got the day off Friday because of the weather. Children in Alsea also got the day off but because of a previously scheduled teacher work day.

Paula Reab, whose two children attend Adams Elementary School in Corvallis, suspected there would be no school Friday, and let her third grader and kindergartner stay up till 11 p.m. Thursday.

"It worked out perfectly," Reab said. "We had a friend visiting from out of town. … It was a good day for a school closure, Friday."

The Coast Range foothills, including Alsea, could see freezing rain and snow tonight.

Snow accumulation in the Cascade Mountains from today through Monday could reach two feet.