Snowy passes, falling temps loom in forecast

Dec. 7—Southern Oregon motorists should prepare for snow on mountain passes Thursday as local meteorologists monitor a weather front coming into the Rogue Valley that's expected to bring cold, wet conditions into next week.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory lasting from 4 a.m. through 10 p.m. Thursday that warns of reduced visibility from blowing snow and slick roads, among other hazards at elevations above 2,500 feet within Jackson, Josephine, Curry and Douglas counties.

According to meteorologist Ken Sargeant at the National Weather Service in Medford, a weather system moving in from the coast was expected to kick off several days of cold, wet weather in the Rogue Valley from Wednesday through the weekend.

"It's the beginning of a very active weather pattern," Sargeant said. "That's going to bring in low snow levels and low temperatures — we're expecting that cold, unsettled air to last into the weekend and early next week."

The forecast calls for temperatures near freezing overnight with a chance of rain on the valley floor overnight and rain Thursday in the Medford area below about 2,700 feet.

More active weather later this week! pic.twitter.com/sxIoaKFc4J

— NWS Medford (@NWSMedford) December 6, 2022

Because of the forecast, the city of Medford declared that a cold weather shelter staffed by volunteers coordinated by the nonprofit ACCESS would be open at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 7 and 8, through 8:30 a.m. the following morning, at 332 W. Sixth St., Medford.

The low-barrier shelter can accommodate 64 people, and the city will not enforce tent and prohibited camping ordinances during the severe weather event; however, fires remain prohibited in the city. For information from the city on severe weather event shelters, text "MED4SHELTERS" to 888777.

The city of Ashland similarly extended its emergency severe weather shelter through Friday morning. The shelter opens at 5 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 7 and 8, at Pioneer Hall, 73 Winburn Way, Ashland. Well-behaved pets are welcome. The no-frills shelter closes its doors for the night at 9 p.m., and the city cuts the lights at 10 p.m. Those with questions and those interested in volunteering at the shelter are asked to contact volunteer Avram Sacks at 541-220-7307.

The National Weather Service advisory predicts snows of roughly 3 to 6 inches above 2,500 feet and significantly higher snowfall amounts at elevations above 4,000 feet. Snow was expected to start falling around 10 p.m. Wednesday, with the heaviest snowfall predicted between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Thursday.

Precipitation is expected to be fairly light on the valley floor in the Medford area, according to Sargeant, with a light dusting of snow possible in hilly areas.

"I wouldn't put it past that we might get a few snowflakes," Sargeant said.

More significant precipitation is predicted at upper elevations — particularly late in the day Thursday.

"That would definitely include the Siskiyou Summit," Sargeant said, noting the Interstate 5 pass at the California border has an elevation of 4,300 feet.

"I would say I-5 will see impacts from this," Sargeant said.

He said a computer model predicted as much as 4 inches of snow could fall on the pass late in the afternoon.

"I'm sure the ODOT crews will be busy trying to keep that clear," Sargeant said.

Sargeant said other roadways could see impacts in Jackson County, such as upper elevations near Prospect and out beyond Shady Cove.

"They're not much higher, but they'll be affected by it," Sargeant said. "That's when it starts impacting travel."

Beyond Thursday, the weather system will set up a larger area of low pressure lasting through the weekend.

Moderate to heavy rain and snow is expected to continue late Friday through Saturday for portions of the Shasta Valley in Northern California, coastal areas in Curry County and portions of Klamath County.

Meteorologists anticipate passes especially near Mount Shasta to be impacted at elevations above 3,000 feet.

Road officials recommend that motorists slow down and allow extra time to reach their destination, carry tire chains and be prepared for snow covered roads and limited visibility.

The snow level is expected to drop potentially as low as 2,000 feet Sunday and Monday, but Sargeant said he anticipates precipitation will begin tapering off by then.

For the latest Oregon road conditions and traffic cameras, see TripCheck.com, call 1-800-977-6368 or dial 511.

For California road conditions, see quickmap.dot.ca.gov, call 1-800-427-7623 or dial 511.

The local forecast calls for about a quarter-inch of precipitation in the Medford area by the end of this weekend, according to Sargeant. Ashland could get as much as a third of an inch.

Sargeant said precipitation will help "a bit" after the prolonged drought conditions in the Rogue Valley, but it's far from enough to bring the region up to average for the current water year.

Meteorologists have observed 2.64 inches of precipitation since the water year began Oct. 1 — down about 42% from a normal water year of 4.54 inches, according to a National Weather Service precipitation tracker updated shortly after midnight Wednesday morning.

Klamath Falls is down about 31% from normal at 1.74 inches, North Bend is down about 46% at 7.83 inches, Roseburg is down about 27% at 5.97 inches, Mount Shasta, California, is down about 28% at 4.94 inches, but Alturas, California, is about 16% above normal at 2.78 inches.

Reach web editor Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or nmorgan@rosebudmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MTwebeditor.