Snow paralyzes Portland, strands drivers

Winter storms sowed more chaos across the U.S. on Thursday, shutting down much of Portland with almost a foot of snow and paralyzing travel from parts of the Pacific Coast all the way to the northern Plains.

The nearly 11 inches that fell in Portland amounted to the second snowiest day in the city’s history. It took drivers by surprise, stalling traffic during the Wednesday evening rush hour and trapping motorists on freeways for hours.Some spent the night in their vehicles or abandoned them altogether as crews struggled to clear roads.

Other commuters got off spun-out buses and walked in groups to safety. The National Weather Service, which had predicted only a slim chance of significant snow, planned to review its work.The weather also knocked out power to almost a million homes and businesses in multiple states, closed schools and grounded or delayed thousands of flights.