The threat of snow and freezing rain prompted a rare snow day in much of northwest Oregon. Most school districts and many government offices closed in the Willamette Valley.
In Salem, the flakes began flying mid-morning. Adam Gallardo, a clerk at The Book Bin in downtown Salem, said business was slower than normal at the bookstore. He suspects some holiday shoppers were staying home with their kids.
"I grew up in Idaho and when I was a kid there had to be like a foot of snow on the ground before they'd ever close,” Gallardo said. “And here they seem to close school at the mere threat of some foul weather."
The snow and ice are expected to change over to rain by the evening, as the region transitions back to a more typical weather pattern.
Copyright 2016 Northwest News Network
