WEATHER SUMMARY FOR SOUTHERN OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA A very potent storm system will deliver a one two punch of rain and strong winds to the area today. Rain could become heavy at times with up to 4 inches expected at the Coast and more likely for the Coast Range. Inland, amounts will be lighter, but all areas should see significant rains out of the is. The Rogue valley in the Medford area will experience the usual downsloping effects which means the rain will be later arriving in Medford, thus keeping amounts here lighter than elsewhere. Winds will also be a big part of this system and it is the first big wind maker of the season in terms of wind speeds and amount of area coverage. The High Wind Warning up for the area pretty well details it in terms of what is expected where, but the Coast and the mountains above 3000 feet look to see the strongest winds with gusts to 80 miles an hour possible. Wind gusts to 70 miles an hour are possible for the areas east of the Cascades in Oregon, and down in Northern California. The Rogue Valley in the Medford area can expect winds gusting to 50 miles an hour. Thunderstorms may occur today as the atmosphere is very unstable and would support them firing off. Thunderstorms will bring squally weather with them including bursts of heavy rain, and winds gusting to as high as 50 miles an hour. The main front will work through the area tonight, and when it does, cold air will arrive and lower snow levels in the mountains. Look for snow levels to drop to near 4500 feet by tomorrow morning with 3 - 6 inches of snow expected. This should produce impacts for travelers across the higher passes of the Cascades so be expecting that if you have travel plans. The storm departs the area on Sunday leaving scattered showers in its wake, and a snow level hovering near 5000 feet by Sunday afternoon. Looking ahead, Monday looks to be the nicest day of the upcoming week. A series of systems will arrive with more rain for the region starting on Tuesday. It does look right now like Halloween will be cloudy for the valleys, but not wet for trick or treating. I will keep you updated on that of course as Halloween lands on Friday night this year so it ought to be very busy for the kids hunting down goodies.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 13:10:50 +0000