Brozen ponds, bursting pipes and single-digit lows were evidence last week that Sweet Home was caught in a blast of arctic air flowing across the states from Canada.
Oregon wasn’t hit as hard as the Midwest, and it didn’t last as long, said Liana Ramirez, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Portland.
Oregon had a threat of snow, but it never materialized in the Willamette Valley, she said. The Weather Service did receive reports of freezing rain, including Corvallis and Eugene Friday night as the freezing weather pattern neared its end.
While the freezing rain didn’t generally impact Sweet Home, by late evening, roads were icing over.
The South Santiam arm of Foster Lake was frozen at Calkins Park. Further east the South Santiam was covered in ice here and there. A sheet of ice covered the river under Short Bridge in Cascadia.
Clumps of icicles clung to the basaltic cliff faces along the south side of Highway 20 from Foster to Cascadia.
Several young men reportedly played hockey on a frozen pond above The Point Restaurant, and the pond at Sunnyside Park was frozen.
The pond at Community Chapel was frozen, and the staff Christmas photo was taken in the middle of the pond.
The Sweet Home Police Department log showed multiple reports of broken pipes at residences and at least one within the city’s water system.
The weather pattern lasted almost a week with lows of 8 and 9 degrees recorded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the week.
The Corps recorded a freezing high of 29 for Dec. 8, while highs the rest of the week hovered just above freezing.
“Right now, we’re going to definitely be warming up,” Ramirez said. Highs will run in the mid 40s to low 50s through at least next Monday.
Models are less reliable further out, she said, so it’s difficult to predict what will happen by Christmas.
The Weather Service does see rain off the coast for Christmas Eve, she said.
The lows last week set records in Portland, Astoria and Seaside. Portland had a record low, 14 degrees, on Dec. 11. The previous record was 14 degrees set in 1972.