BEND, OR -- Central Oregon in for another blast of winter weather, starting tonight. 

With temperatures predicted to dip into the single digits in some areas, ODOT’s Kasey Davey urges drivers to take appropriate precautions. 

“For folks who are driving on the road, expect anything that looks just wet is not wet, it’s going to be ice. Because everything is going to be completely frozen when we get that low. So, make sure you’re slowing down, and giving yourself extra time and extra stopping distance when you’re out there on the roads,” said Davey, who reminds drivers that they need to be prepared for slick conditions because magnesium chloride used to pre-treat and de-ice roads isn’t as effective, “It works down to the upper teens pretty well. In mid- to lower-teens it works, but it’s very slow and can start to be a little bit slow. When we’re getting down into the low single digits, that tool by itself is probably not going to work. So, we’ll be using more of the cinders and plowing, and hoping that folks are driving safely.”

Local road construction shouldn’t add to the stress, according to Davey, “You’re going to continue seeing one-lane closures on US-20 through the New Year. And the south leg of Old Bend Redmond [Highway] is still closed while they’re working on that. But, during the holiday weekend; so, that means starting this Thursday through Tuesday, and the same New Year’s weekend, there won’t be any construction going on, and most of the single-lane closures should be picked up.”

This cold front is already impacting other parts of the Pacific Northwest.  Snow canceled flights out of Seattle Tuesday, and ice is believed to be the cause of a fatal crash that shut down I-84 outside Troutdale.