State predicts flooding as temperatures rise, snow melts and rain chances increase

SALEM, Ore. — The day after Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency due to severe winter storm conditions throughout Oregon, a top state leader told KATU another round of major weather problems could be right around the corner.

"Temperatures are going to start to warm up quite a bit on Monday," Andrew Phelps, director of Oregon's Office of Emergency Management, predicted Thursday. "The snow elevation is going to rise up to about 9,000 feet so you’re going to have snow melt coming off the mountains. There’s going to be a rain event early next week so we’re going to have rain on top of snow melt and flooding is going to be an issue throughout the state.”

This week's winter snow blast was no surprise to Brown, who mentioned it just after being sworn in as governor on Monday.

"Happy New Year!" Brown told reporters at the end of a news conference at the state Capitol. "I think the next snow storm is coming on Wednesday, I heard, so make sure you get your snow tires on."

On Wednesday, Brown declared a state of emergency for Oregon after Portland and other areas were pounded with record snowfall.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler declared a city emergency soon after.

"Really this is kind of a statewide event for us," Phelps explained Thursday.

He said Crook County was the first to declare a local emergency, followed by Malheur County and the cities of Detroit, Idanha and Portland.

When asked what the governor's declared state of emergency means, Phelps said, "It frees up our availability to provide state resources to assist our local partners throughout the state should they request additional support to meet their efforts to respond to the storm. ... It's a little unprecedented for us, I think, as a state certainly in recent memory from the snow standpoint and that creates a resource gap."

When asked if the state is being stretched too thin, Phelps said, "I don't know that I think we're being stretched too thin at this point. I think we're operating at near capacity."

Phelps said the biggest issue now is clearing snow from roads and off rooftops in several parts of the state.

When asked how much money is being spent he said, "You know, it's hard to say. Part of the process that we'll follow during this disaster or this emergency declaration is trying to track the costs at the local and state levels, so we'll certainly have a clear level I think as things begin to calm down."