Videos Show 'Nearly Every Tree' Damaged by Oregon Ice Storms

Videos shared on social media show dozens of damaged and downed trees after two ice storms blasted Oregon this week.

In a nearly two-minute video shared on X, formerly Twitter, trees are seen so caked with ice that their branches drag on the ground. At roughly 40 seconds into the clip, dozens of downed trees can be seen as "nearly every tree" in the area appears to have battered by the severe weather, according to National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Tyler Kranz.

Kranz, who shared the "devastating" footage on X, said that he took the video in Springfield, Oregon, on Wednesday. While he said in a reply to the video post that he did not measure, the meteorologist estimated that roughly an inch of ice has coated the area, which is located roughly 100 miles from Portland.

"Devastating ice storm damage over parts of northwest Oregon from two back to back storms," Kranz said in the post. "This is the worst winter storm damage I've ever seen (in the Springfield area). Nearly every tree was damaged or downed. Power lines down all over. Pray for Oregon! #icestorm"

Newsweek reached out via email Wednesday night to the NWW and Springfield city officials for comment. Newsweek also reached out to Kranz via X.

In the city of Eugene, roughly five miles from Springfield, video shared on X by AccuWeather shows an ice-covered tree falling.

"TIMBER! A man recorded as a large tree came crashing down amid a dangerous ice storm in Oregon," AccuWeather posted.

The NWS measured roughly 0.40 inch of ice at the Portland office on Wednesday afternoon, posting on Facebook that the "parking lot is pretty much an ice rink" and urging people to stay home.

The Oregon Department of Transportation (DOT) said the icy conditions have resulted in numerous road and highway closures after two ice storms battered the Pacific Northwest this week have left roadways too perilous for travel amid slippery conditions and downed trees and power lines. The downed lines have resulted in numerous power outages all over the state, leaving some Oregon residents without power since Saturday.

"Crews report that despite working the closure area all night long with plows, sand, deicer and salt - Mother Nature continues to win," OregonDOT posted on X.

The ice storms in Oregon have claimed several lives after two adults and a teenager were killed on Wednesday.

In Northeast Portland, a power line fell on top of a vehicle that was parked, killing three people and wounding a baby shortly before noon, the Associated Press reported.

A branch had fallen on a power line, causing the downed line to land on an SUV, the Portland fire department said, adding that it appears the three victims were electrocuted by the downed power line when they got out of the vehicle, according to a statement obtained by the AP. The baby survived, the outlet reported.

The icy conditions are expected to continue and likely get worse, forecasters warn.

More freezing rain is forecast to return to parts of northwest Oregon Thursday evening into Friday morning with the highest chances being within the western Columbia River Gorge and eastern Portland, according to a Wednesday evening forecast by the NWS in Portland.

On the heels of the severe weather that walloped the Northwest earlier this week, a large portion of the region is bracing for more extreme conditions through the weekend. In a 6:30 p.m. EST update, the NWS in Portland had numerous active alerts, including an ice storm warning, a winter storm warning, a gale warning and a wind advisory.