The Latest: Snow turns to freezing rain in downtown Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Latest on a snowstorm in Oregon and SW Washington (all times local):

6:15 p.m.

Evening commuters were finding the drive home to be tricky around Portland as snow was turning to sleet and freezing rain.

Portland transit service TriMet said on Twitter the green line of the light rail system had been disrupted because of ice on overhead power wires. At least one line of bus service had been cancelled until road conditions improve and other bus lines were travelling, many with chains, on snow routes.

Freezing rain was also hitting Vancouver, Washington.

The National Weather Service said strong winds gusting to 50 mph in those areas Thursday night could lead to areas of blowing snow, cold wind chills and power outages.

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12:20 p.m.

Heavy, swirling snow has started to fall in downtown Portland and thousands of people in neighbouring Clackamas County are without power.

Forecasters expect a couple inches to stick during the afternoon before the snow changes to freezing rain, heightening concerns about a treacherous evening commute.

Strong winds have toppled trees, and Portland General Electric says about 7,000 customers in Clackamas County lacked power at noon. Other outages have been reported in Multnomah, Washington and Yamhill County.

Meanwhile, one person died Thursday morning in a traffic crash on Highway 99 in Benton County. Oregon State Police say icy roads were a factor.

Earlier, a Vancouver, Washington, woman was injured when a tree struck her home.

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8 a.m.

The National Weather Service has pushed back the projected arrival time for a winter storm, saying the Portland metro area should start seeing heavy snow at about 11 a.m. and it will continue to mid-afternoon.

Meteorologist Matthew Cullen says the storm travelling north brought freezing rain and sleet to Eugene Thursday morning and light snow began in the mid-Willamette Valley.

He says the Portland metro area should get a couple of inches of snow before switching to freezing rain for the evening commute.

Greater accumulations are expected in the Coast Range and the Columbia River Gorge. Cullen says 5-to-10 inches could fall in the Gorge, particularly from Cascade Locks east toward Hood River.

Numerous school districts cancelled classes Thursday. State offices in Portland metro area are closed and so are those in Clatsop and Tillamook counties.