Multnomah and Washington counties will close their cold weather shelters today following one night of operations, with somewhat warmer weather expected on Wednesday night. Clackamas County’s cold weather shelter will continue to operate.
Compared to the other two counties in the Portland area, Clackamas County has a lower barrier for running severe weather shelters. According to the county website, My Father’s Heart shelter in Oregon City is available on nights when temperatures are expected to drop to 33 degrees or less (including wind chill) or when other weather conditions (such as snow, wind, flooding, or other weather conditions) make sleeping outside particularly risky.
325 people slept on mats in one of the three cold weather shelters that were open Tuesday night, according to Multnomah County officials who announced the shutdown. However, the National Weather Service predicts that the nightly low temperature will be 31 degrees at 7 a.m. on Thursday, with no precipitation. That is around freezing with heavy rain or snow, or above the county’s projected threshold of 25 degrees.
According to the release, longer-term projections still indicate the likelihood of snow and colder temperatures in the days ahead, so the county and the City of Portland will keep an eye on the situation and continue to communicate with the National Weather Service. The county will continue to be prepared to reopen emergency shelters if necessary.
Multnomah County announced on Tuesday that one individual died from hypothermia in Southwest Portland on Sunday. The National Weather Service reported that night’s low temperature was 36 degrees. Neither snow nor significant rain fell.
This item has been revised to include a more accurate description of the Portland neighborhood where a person passed away from hypothermia.
For The Oregonian, Lillian Mongeau Hughes writes about mental health and homelessness. For advice or inquiries, send her an email [email protected]. [email protected] X at@lrmongeau is another way to follow her.
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