Two-year-old Genevieve Barry holds on tight and lets out a cheer Friday while sledding with her father, Chris Barry, and other family members at Wanoga Sno-park on Christmas Eve.

As an extreme cold weather front moved into Central Oregon on Friday, anxiety and caution marked the pandemic’s second Christmas Eve. Dozens of cross-country skiers pulled into the Virginia Meissner Sno-park early Friday, eager to get a few hours on the trails before relaxing with family and friends for Christmas.

While snow blanketed the region, though, social service providers in Bend were busy preparing emergency shelters and roads were plowed for holiday travelers, heading toward a week where weather conditions are expected to worsen.

But Christmas Eve 2021 also brought concern about what people couldn’t see — the omicron variant. With the highly transmissible variant on the horizon, a feeling of unease remained as skiers pulled on their boots and headed into the forest.

Deanna Kay, a massage therapist and yoga instructor, said it felt strange to recently see groups of kids gathering to sit on Santa’s lap when the world was still gripped by the pandemic. Jon Cape, a scientist who was gearing up to tow one of his three young daughters in a sled behind him alongside his wife, Sharon, said this year’s holiday season approached rapidly compared to last year, when the country remained largely shut down.

Husband and wife John and Nancy Sorlie, who were training for upcoming cross-country ski races, said they bought at-home COVID-19 tests as their family arrived in town for the holiday.

Nancy Sorlie, whose 59th birthday is Christmas Day, said she was concerned about travel restrictions as her daughter’s boyfriend prepared for a journey from the United Kingdom, which reported a record-high COVID-19 case count on Friday due to omicron.

John Sorlie said the latest news about omicron hanging over the holidays emphasizes the need to stay flexible in a pandemic world.

“You got to take what you can get,” he said.

His wife agreed, adding: “It’s history, but not good history.”

Oregon declares state of emergency amid winter storm

The first signs of a week-long winter storm forecast by the National Weather Service arrived Friday morning in Central Oregon.

The weather service office in Pendleton warned Thursday afternoon that the next week in Central Oregon will have several days when the high temperature will remain below freezing and overnight lows will drop to single digits.

The frigid weather will start Monday, when high temperatures will be in the low 20s and drop to around 4 degrees at night.

“We probably won’t see highs above freezing until late in the week,” said Mike Vescio, meteorologist with the weather service in Pendleton. “It’s a pretty good cold snap.”

The Oregon Office of Emergency management projected Thursday that the storms will continue for seven to 10 days, “bringing freezing temperatures, mountain and valley snow, and gusty winds.”

The extreme weather prompted Gov. Kate Brown to declare a state of emergency Thursday lasting through Jan. 3.

Before the cold weather hits Bend, up to 4 inches of snow is expected to fall Sunday. The cold weather will keep the snow on the ground throughout the week, Vescio said. More snow could fall Tuesday, according to the forecast.

Vesico said it is important for people to be careful in the extreme cold and snow. Those who are traveling should stock their cars with blankets, a shovel and have good traction on their tires. People should dress in layers and cover exposed skin when outside.

“Limit the time you are outdoors, and if you are outdoors, definitely dress warm,” Vesico said.

Central Oregon shelters create space for unhoused

Shelter organizers were busy responding to the inclement weather on Friday, creating space for people experiencing homelessness who will be at-risk as snow falls and temperatures plummet.

Dave Notari, the director of development for Shepherd’s House Ministries, said overnight low-barrier emergency shelters will be open from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. on Second Street in Bend and at Highland Baptist Church, SW 3100 Highland Ave., Redmond. Both facilities will be extending departure times and will serve a hot dinner and breakfast, he said.

In addition, the Redmond day shelter at 1368 S. U.S. Highway 97, a partnership with local churches, is being opened early due to the serious weather conditions, Notari said. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 28-30, when temperatures are expected to be at their lowest.

“We realized that people are really going to be struggling, so we wanted to make that available,” he said. “We wanted to make sure that we provided safety for them.”

Notari said Shepherd’s House will also be providing transportation from overnight shelters to the day shelter next week. He noted that the facility will accept donations in the form of blankets, gloves, jackets, hats and prepackaged food and bottled water Tuesday through Thursday.

Morgan Schmidt, a pastor with the First Presbyterian Church of Bend, said the church will open a warming shelter Dec. 28-30 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Warm meals will be available at the church.

Volunteers with the Central Oregon Homeless Leadership Coalition will also be collecting donations and traveling around the area to hand supplies out to people experiencing homelessness, Schmidt said.

Schmidt said people can bring donations to the church on Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday from 3:30 to 6 p.m., and Tuesday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“These are human beings who shouldn’t have to worry about where they’re going to get warm or where they’re going to stay the night,” she said. “We need our leaders and community to step up.”