Rare ice storms bring gridlock to Salem and Willamette Valley Salem Statesman Journal The series of ice storms that crippled the Willamette Valley over Presidents Day weekend only comes about once every few decades, but when it does, it makes a big impact. Numerous roads remain closed from Salem to Portland, more than 300,000 homes and businesses are without power and tens of thousands of trees came down under the weight of more than an inch of ice. The good news is that Western Oregon's weather has moved back into a more normal pattern of temperatures in the upper 30s and 40s with bouts of non-freezing rain and snow in the mountains.