Snow is expected to continue falling today atop Thursday’s first-of-the-season snowstorm, with the possibility of 2 to 4 more inches by this afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

Temperatures aren’t expected to reach above the low 30s today. The forecast calls for a chance of snow showers tonight, with clouds clearing by Saturday and high temperatures in the 20s.

The Jefferson County School District will be closed today. Other school closures for Central Oregon were not available at press time. Check www.bendbulletin.com or school district websites for morning updates.

The first snow of fall blanketed Central Oregon on Thursday, slowing traffic, closing schools across the region and causing the cancellation of some evening activities. The Redmond airfield closed early Thursday night because of icy conditions.

Snow fell throughout Thursday with initial snowfall totals in the half-foot range. The winter conditions resulted in traffic accidents throughout the region.

Oregon State Police said Thursday that a 91-year-old man died in a single vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 26 east of Prineville.

Robert L. Akins, the driver of the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene, near milepost 25. Troopers found his 2000 Chevrolet Silverado pickup off the roadway down a steep embankment. The truck struck a juniper tree in the driver’s side door, according to police.

There were no passengers in the truck. Witnesses told OSP that Akins was traveling with two other vehicles in a caravan and that his truck and another vehicle began to lose traction on the packed snow and ice. The second vehicle that slipped recovered safely.

US. Highway 26 was closed for a period Thursday about five miles north of Madras after a propane truck rolled over, according to Oregon State Police.

OSP was dispatched to the highway at 11:42 a.m. The tanker was on its side. Jefferson County Sheriff Jim Adkins said it slid off the road due to snow.

Icy runways prompted closure of Redmond Municipal Airport airfield after freezing rain started at 5 p.m., according to the city of Redmond. The pavement was to be re-evaluated at about 7 a.m. today.

Passengers were being encouraged to check with their airline for flight information.

The snowy conditions also prompted highway closures. Heavy snowfall and ice caused the Deschutes County Road Department to close the Cascade Lakes Highway and Paulina Lake Road on Thursday afternoon. The Oregon Department of Transportation also closed the McKenzie Pass Highway.

Deschutes County officials intended to close the roads next week, but the weather changed the plans, said Tom Shamberger, operations manager for the road department.

“When we get the first snow, we shut those gates,” he said.

Cascade Lakes Highway is closed west of Mount Bachelor between the gates at Dutchman Flat and Deschutes Bridge, according to the county. The 20-mile stretch of highway will be closed through the winter.

Paulina Lake Road is closed at the Ten Mile Sno-park gate, restricting access to Paulina and East Lakes, according to the county. The 8-mile road will also be closed through the winter.

The McKenzie Pass Highway is expected to have 8 to 10 inches of snow through today, the Oregon Department of Transportation said in announcing the closure.

In Bend, motorists struggled at times Thursday to navigate through town as snow fell steadily in the morning.

Hardy Hanson, streets division manager for the Bend Public Works Department, said Thursday that plowing and sanding would continue until midnight and that the city would continue to clear roads as additional snow falls.

Major arterial roads such as SE Third Street , SW Brookswood, NE Butler Market Road and SW Mt. Washington Drive are the first to be plowed when crews start at 4 a.m., he said.

The weather also affected classes at Central Oregon Community College and OSU-Cascades. The colleges closed at 5 p.m. and did not hold classes past 3 p.m.

Schools in the Redmond, Crook County and Jefferson County school districts closed Thursday because of the snowy weather.

Bend-La Pine Schools chose to close all of its facilities at 6 p.m. Thursday as a result of weather forecasts predicting freezing rain.

Middle and high school students were released 10 minutes early to give buses extra time to drive routes.

The Bend Park and Recreation District canceled middle school basketball, youth volleyball and Bend Senior Center afternoon and evening programs.

Deschutes County reminded property owners Thursday that sidewalks must be cleared of snow and ice within city limits.

Bend, La Pine, Redmond and Sisters have ordinances that require year-round clearing and maintaining of sidewalks.

Each ordinance is slightly different but requires business or property owners to remove ice or snow from sidewalk adjacent to their property. Business districts are expected to clear snow from sidewalks within six hours and property owners in residential areas within 24 hours.

The codes help make sidewalks safer, while in commercial areas they encourage good business practices, the Deschutes County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee said in a news release.