PORTLAND -- Now that Mother Nature is getting rid of snow from last week's record storm, city and county road crews are turning their focus on cleanup.

Problems vary from potholes and abandoned cars to piles of gravel that had been spread for traction, blocked storm drains and a great deal of debris, including broken chains.

 Poll: Your biggest concern?

At a cost of around $2 million so far, Portland crews had been working overtime to plow the snow and now they're charged with cleaning up the post-storm mess while at the same time trying to preserve what's left of the stretched budget.

 More: Gravel & debris causing problems

Spokeswoman Cheryl Kuck said street sweepers can't get out until the snow is completely melted and abandoned cars are moved. The entire cleaning process should take about two weeks and crews will clear the bike lanes first.

The rain will help with that.

"Wet and mild conditions will continue through the rest of the week. Snow levels will hover around 3,000 feet," said KGW Meteorologist Dave Salesky.

Another big issue facing the city is garbage because trash collectors were not able to make their way through the snow during the storm.

“It was too dangerous. We want to service our costumers and it doesn't help us to fall behind,” said Adam Winston, a city waste collector. “It frustrates, we understand that, but our primary goal is to service our customers safely. It’s not worth someone getting hurt.”

 More: Trash collection challenges

Waste Management was asking homeowners to limit the garbage they put out on the curbs to only two-weeks worth Monday, because any more could bog down an already taxing job. They said homeowners and businesses could expect a regular trash pickup schedule Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. But Thursday’s service would be delayed until Friday due to the New Year's holiday. Those who normally have their trash collected on Friday should expect a Saturday pick up.

The snow, along with sand spread on area roads to boost traction, left area drivers with another mess to clean up -- their dirty vehicles.

Car wash companies saw a huge increase in traffic over the weekend.

 More: Car wash companies cash in

The manager of a car wash in Northeast Portland told KGW that last Sunday was their busiest day of 2008, with more than 1,000 customers. That was more than three times the amount of business they get on a normal Sunday.

As for the changing weather conditions, Salesky said that in the mountains, it's all about snow. The National Weather Service issued Winter Storm Warnings for the North Cascades and Salesky said up to 20 inches of snow was likely in the next 24 hours.

Elsewhere, along the Oregon Coast, a stretch of U.S. Highway 101 near Tillamook was closed due to standing water on the road.

The NWS has issued flood warnings for Lane, Coos and Curry counties and flood advisories for 16 other counties in Oregon and southwest Washington.

Photos: Slideshows from the snow storm

The flood warning covers urban areas and small streams near the coast affected by snow runoff and heavy rainfall. This means the experts believe that flooding is imminent or has already been reported. Forecasters said heavy rain was already bringing the Siuslaw River near Mapleton to near flood stage.

The NWS says the winter wallop that dealt the Portland area nearly 19 inches of snow in the last two weeks has by one measurement made December the snowiest month since January 1950 in a city more noted for winter rain.

Based on the snowfall at Portland International Airport, meteorologist Charles Dalton said, the winter weather also gave the city its snowiest Christmas at least since 1940, when the agency began recording precipitation levels there.

 Arctic Blast 2008: More details, photos & video

The January 1950 total at the airport was 22 inches of snow. When it falls, snow tends to vary in depth in the metro area. In last weekend's snowstorm, it was heaviest in the city's West Hills as well as the suburban areas east of the airport.