The Oregon State Capitol closed on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, due to the snowy weather. (Photo by Ben Botkin/Oregon Capital Chronicle)
Snow and ice closed state government offices and the Oregon Capitol on Thursday — but lawmakers, staff, lobbyists and Oregonians prepared to testify on bills didn’t learn the Capitol would close until minutes before some scheduled public hearings.
Several were scheduled for 8 a.m. But legislative leaders didn’t announce the Capitol was closing until after 7:30 a.m., and the building didn’t officially close until 8:30, well after snow began falling in Salem and several hours after most school districts in the state announced they’d shut for the day. That delay meant employees, from the security guards responsible for screening visitors to nonpartisan research staff, were already at the Capitol or on their way, as were lawmakers, lobbyists and other Oregonians.
Officials knew about the storm long before they made the call to close the Capitol. The Legislative Administration office sent lawmakers and staff an email shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday about the storm warning and asking them to exercise caution while traveling. Shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday, after the National Weather Service had upgraded the winter storm watch to a more serious ice storm warning and warned Oregonians that traveling would risk their lives, a second email said the Capitol would remain open overnight “and an assessment will be made early morning (~5am) on building status.”
Other organizations, like the Marion-Polk YMCA across the street from the Capitol, quickly responded, notifying members about an hour later that it would be closed the next morning.
Legislative Administrator Brett Hanes, Senate President Rob Wagner and House Speaker Julie Fahey issued closure notifications just after 7:30 a.m. “The Capitol will be closing at 8:30AM this morning. Reopening will be communicated via email, likely tomorrow morning after the roads are drivable,” the email from Legislative Administration said. “All support operations in the building, including security checkpoints, will stop at closure. No entry to the Capitol will be possible until we are able to reopen.”
In a joint statement, spokespeople for Wagner and Fahey said the Legislature follows a standard protocol when inclement weather hits, including considering information from the state police, Oregon Department of Transportation and National Weather Service.
“It is rare that the Capitol is closed for inclement weather during the legislative session,” the statement said. “There is important work happening at the Capitol every day and we always want the Capitol to be open so that work can continue.”
In some instances, meetings were cancelled just minutes before they were supposed to start. The Senate Labor and Business Committee, for instance, didn’t note that its 8 a.m. hearing was cancelled until 7:47 a.m. Between 7:50 and 8:51 a.m., the Legislature’s automated email system sent updates about 19 cancelled meetings.
Other state government officials in Salem said Wednesday that they would open at 10 a.m. Thursday, then Thursday morning said they would remain closed all day.
The Oregon Department of Transportation held several news conferences about highway conditions, starting at 6 a.m. Thursday, but it wasn’t until after 1:30 p.m. that the Oregon Department of Emergency Management announced it had activated regional centers and warned the public of “treacherous travel conditions, road closures, power outages and the need for temporary warming shelters.”
Along Interstate 84 in Multnomah County, more than 100 vehicles crashed in a series of pileups.
House Republican Leader Christine Drazan said delays in official decisions can affect lives. “There are very real consequences to delayed decisions on public safety during the legislative process,” Drazan said in a statement.
Portland Public Schools and the Salem-Keizer School District, the two largest districts in the state, both announced they would be closed shortly after 5 a.m.
Connor Radnovich, a spokesperson for Wagner, defended the timing, saying other weather forecasts of inclement weather have not panned out.
“There is a lot of important work that happens at the Capitol every day and we owe it to the Oregonians who are impacted by our work to be absolutely sure we need to close before doing so,” he said in an email. “It only became clear that we needed to close the Capitol as of this morning.”
Republican state Rep. Cyrus Javadi started driving from his Tillamook home to the Capitol around 6 a.m. because he hadn’t heard whether it would be open and roads looked fairly clear on the transportation department’s TripCheck website. Conditions got dicier as he drove inland, and when he reached Grand Ronde and cell service, his car spun out.
He corrected without crashing and made it home safely to work remotely for the rest of the day. Javadi said he didn’t mind the drive or not knowing the Capitol would be closed until after he was on the road — but he is pushing this season for legislation to add more cell towers through the coast range. Most of his drive Thursday was through a part of the state that lacks cell service.
“I think that the hope was that the storm was going to have been over-advertised, and people will be able to get in safely,” he said. “And rather than call it a day if there was no snow, they waited to see. I don’t blame anybody for it; I think it was just the way it turned out.”
Other members of the bipartisan Coastal Caucus, including chair Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis, attended their scheduled 7 a.m. meeting remotely while waiting for news. Gomberg and a few other members of the caucus usually drive to Salem each day instead of staying in town.
Gomberg said he was pleased the Capitol ultimately closed. The Legislature has a lot of work to do and this is a “critical time” with bills needing to get hearings scheduled before a deadline a few weeks away, he added.
“We need all the time that we can get, but certainly the safety of legislators and, more importantly, the public that we engage in this process is paramount,” he said.
Rep. Emerson Levy, a Bend Democrat, expected to attend an 8 a.m. hearing of the House Climate, Energy and Environment Committee. She started driving back over the Santiam Pass once she got the news the Capitol would close.
“It might have been more expedient to make the call last night,” Levy said. “And in the future, we should be more aware of our constituents that might have been driving through the pass or other things.”
Meanwhile, the Oregon Department of Transportation advised people to stay home if possible amid worsening conditions and icy roads. On Thursday morning, ODOT reported two closures. In the east part of the state, Oregon 78 was closed between Crane and Burns Junction due to blowing snow, with winds of 40 to 50 mph.
ODOT also closed Interstate 84 westbound three miles west of Multnomah Falls due to a crash in the Portland metro area, said Mindy McCartt, a spokesperson for ODOT.
“With no signs of improvement in the forecast and conditions expected to worsen throughout the day, we are urging everyone to consider staying home in the metro area,” McCartt said.
Snow is accumulating on both sides of Interstate 5 and Interstate 205.
“Temperatures remain below freezing, and more snow and afternoon freezing rain is expected,” McCartt said.
Multiple minor crashes unfolded in the Columbia River Gorge and hazardous conditions persisted in the WIllamette Valley area, including Corvallis, Albany and Salem, McCartt said. Those who do drive should slow down, at least 10 miles per hour slower than usual, McCartt said. And weather can change as the day unfolds.
“Just because conditions seem fine when you leave home doesn’t mean they’ll stay that way,” McCartt said. “Weather can change rapidly, so be prepared.”
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