A dusting of snow in April isn’t unheard of in some parts of the Northwest but many people were surprised to wake up to accumulations across the Vancouver-Portland area Monday morning. Some areas of Vancouver and Clark County were reporting 3 to 5 inches of snow falling in fat, wet flakes. Trees down across Clark County and in Portland were causing traffic issues, damage and power outages. More than 25,000 homes lost power across Clark County, with close to 20,000 having been recently restored around 12:30 p.m., according to Clark Public Utilities. More than 70 outages were reported across the area. To report an outage, visit Outages & Safety – Clark Public Utilities or call 360-992-8000. Utility spokesman Dameon Pesanti reminds people not to call 911 about an outage unless someone is injured or there’s a public safety hazard. Thousands more were without power in the Portland area. Roads across Clark County saw a mix of snow and slush. Officials asked drivers to plan for winter weather conditions and plan extra time. At 8 a.m., it was 34 degrees at Pearson Field; temperatures were about 36 degrees just before noon.

School closures were announced in Camas, Evergreen, Green Mountain, La Center, Ridgefield, Vancouver, Battle Ground, Washougal, Hockinson and Woodland school districts. Visit the Columbian’s school closures page for updates.  WSU Vancouver canceled classes today. Clark College canceled classes until 10 a.m.; Clark College at WSU Vancouver classes were also canceled. All other Clark facilities and services are operating normally. “In 82 years of record keeping, # PDX had never recorded more than a trace of snow in April. That ended today. Looking out the window, it appears there will be more than 0.1 inch when all is said and done,” the National Weather Service in Portland said on Twitter. C-Tran reported The Vine will be served by 40-foot buses Monday. Passengers should board at the designated location adjacent to each stop. Route 190 is suspended. Visit www.c-tran.com/ for more updates.

Portland airport reported a variety of cancellations and delayed departures. Check flypdx.com for more details. According to the NWS, the area will continue to see snow showers before 11 a.m., then rain showers. The snow level will rise to 1,900 feet in the afternoon, with a high near 44. New snow accumulation of less than 1 inch is possible. This story will be updated. 

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