Winter returns to Sisters

Winter weather returned to the Sisters Country last week after a dry and sometimes balmy interlude.

Many areas around Sisters received three to four inches of snow, while the mountains received close to a foot of new snow over several days. Hoodoo Mountain Resort reports excellent powder skiing conditions.

But the snow that brings joy to skiers makes road travel treacherous. Sisters roads iced up and there were multiple incidents of vehicles sliding off the roadways.

Icy conditions were blamed for a major pileup just west of the Santiam Pass, which took a woman's life and left the highway blocked for hours (see story page 1).

The snowfall is expected to let up through the week, with the National Weather Service predicting mostly to partly sunny skies and high temperatures in the mid-40s. Snow and rain may return over the weekend.