Virtually every school district in and around Portland canceled school for a second straight day Friday, given the mix of freezing rain, snow and ice expected during the morning commute.

KOIN 6 Weather

According to David Bishop, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Portland, after a lull in the precipitation Thursday afternoon, freezing rain is now expected to start Thursday between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. That precipitation should start as freezing rain and transition to snow between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. or so, he said.

The weather system will create the chance for one of the more hazardous weather events in western Oregon, meteorologists said.

About an inch of snow officially fell Thursday on Portland, causing crashes, canceling school, shutting government offices and briefly cutting electricity to thousands. Potentially more dangerous weather was expected to arrive Thursday night,

A snow storm has caused chaos on an Oregon highway, with up to 30 vehicles involved in a large pileup. Several people were injured and four people were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. An SUV involved in the accident caught on fire,

Update: Storm Tracker 2 Meteorologist Rhonda Shelby says a back edge to the first band of precipitation is just about to move through the metro area.1

Snowflakes started falling across the Willamette Valley this morning — dusting roads, plants and backyard furniture with white flurries. As cold weather moves across the state, much of Oregon is under winter storm or weather warnings from the National Weather Service through Friday.