The Gorge preparing for ice and snow ahead of the holiday weekend

HOOD RIVER Ore. (KPTV) - Ice and snow are expected to sweep through the Columbia River Gorge in the next few days, but people who live in the area said it’s nothing out of the ordinary.

The City of Hood River said they have years of experience preparing for winter storms since every year the city gets a few rounds of it. A spokesperson for the public works department said earlier in the week that crews placed gravel on main roads in town to help cars get traction. They also have shut down some steep roads that could be dangerous for drivers. There are also chained-up trucks on standby to start plowing snow that accumulates more than three inches. Linda Steider is a co-owner at Made in the Gorge, a local ART store in the heart of Hood River. She said that she and her fellow artists are used to the winter weather.

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“The business is preparing by having as much work as we possibly can here for shoppers before the storm arrives and we all live here in The Gorge so it probably won’t affect us that much other than a slower commute to work,” Steider said.

She also said her store will be open.

“We plan to be here,” Steider said. “It’ll be cold, it’ll be icy, but we will be here.”

For people traveling, the window to get on the road safely is getting smaller. Mark and Valerie are visiting Hood River and they’re leaving Thursday morning right before the roads start to get icy.

“We have four-wheel drive with chains and I already made sure they fit, that’s the most important thing to do,” Mark said.

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