Ice Storm       Slide     Flood

Summary: Avalanches block travel on both sides of the gorge, and fallen trees and floods turn the map into an obstacle course

First, the good news about 's today's commute: A lot of people are on vacation and will be off the roads.

Now, the bad news: High water, landslides and avalanches have closed roads from the coast to the Columbia River Gorge, including Portland-area commuter routes.

The most dramatic closure was along both sides of the Columbia River. Ice pellets cascaded onto Interstate 84 and Washington 14, covering both highways. At least eight separate slides blocked I-84 between Bonneville Tunnel, near Bonneville Dam, and Hood River.

"Once we scoop some up, it's replaced immediately by more snow," said Ron Scheele, a spokesman for the Oregon Department of Transportation. "It's 3 or 4 three or four feet deep across the four lanes, and it covers up the median. Once all the snow has fallen off the hillside, we can go away and plow it."

Similar slides closed Washington 14 between Lyle and Dallesport, between Stevenson and Bingen, and at Maryhill, said Kim Janasik, a spokeswoman for the Washington State Patrol. U.S. 97 over Satus Pass also was closed.

Also in the gorge, snowdrifts up to reaching 5 feet closed parts of the Historic Columbia River Highway.

Weather reports showed no end in sight for the howling east wind that produced freezing temperatures in the gorge.

In Portland, a landslide Sunday afternoon closed West Burnside Road at Tichner Road, trapping three cars. No one was injured, but officials said the road might be closed for a week.

The 15-foot-deep mudslide also downed power lines in the area.

Downed power lines were also a problem on Interstate 205, where they closed the northbound off-ramp at Sandy Boulevard. Other power lines in the area were sagging and could close more of the freeway.

The state Department of Transportation was waiting for Portland General Electric to make repairs, which might not happen until today.

Ice on electrical wires forced Tri-Met to halt MAX operations Saturday night for the second time in a week. Saturday night. Service didn't resume until 2 p.m. Sunday. A Tri-Met spokesman hoped warming temperatures would avert more ice.

Other problems in the greater Portland area:

* Mudslides closed the southbound lanes of Oregon 43 north of the Sellwood Bridge Sunday afternoon. Transportation Department crews expected to clear the slide by this morning.

*A slide reduced travel on Oregon 224 near Carver, east of Tong Road, to one lane.

* Flooding from Fanno Creek closed Southwest Hall Boulevard at Bonita Road in Tigard.

* High water reduced travel on U.S. Oregon 30 to one lane in each direction at the Burlington dip west of Portland.

* High water closed Oregon 47 in Forest Grove between Beal and Verboort roads. B Street in Forest Grove also was closed.

* High water and a mudslide closed two sections of U.S. 30 near St. Helens.

Elsewhere, jackknifed trucks blocked U.S. 26 through Government Camp. Sunday night, the Oregon State Police closed Oregon 35 because of the threat of avalanches at Sherwood campground between Hood River and U.S. 26.

The coast also saw problems caused by slides, high winds and water. Slides closed Oregon 38 between Reedsport and Interstate 5 and U.S. Oregon 20 east of Newport.

Wind gusts as strong as 120 mph and rising rivers closed four highways on the north coast.

The wind toppled 100 trees onto U.S. 26 at Seaside and blocked traffic for seven hours. State road crews armed with chain saws and bulldozers started clearing the road at 3 a.m. Sunday while trees continued to crash around them.

Downed trees also closed U.S. 101 in southern Tillamook County, while Oregon 22 was washed out near Hebo.

A slide reduced Oregon 34 was reduced to one lane west of Waldport. by a slide.

In the mid-Willamette Valley, the Mohawk River threatened to flood parts of Lane County. High water closed three roads near Marcola. A slide closed Oregon 36 between Junction City and Mapleton, west of Eugene., was closed by a slide.

In Douglas County, a mudslide threw six 100-foot-tall trees onto another stretch of Oregon 38, blocking traffic for 12 hours Sunday.

Oregon 38 was closed by a slide for five miles west of Elkton, but highway officials expected it to open by this morning.