Weather forecast calls for a gray Christmas
Dec. 23—Rainy roads are in Rogue Valley forecast for Christmas, but winter conditions may follow
Mild weather and wet road conditions are expected on Southern Oregon's mountain passes over the Christmas weekend, but local meteorologists recommend drivers who are traveling for the holiday be ready for winter delays coming home.
A warm front coming into the Rogue Valley was expected to bring climbing temperatures through the weekend, with rising snow levels and plenty of precipitation, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Charles Smith.
Forecasters are expecting between half an inch and an inch of precipitation this weekend — mostly in the form of rain — and most certainly plenty of cloudy skies Christmas Day, according to Smith.
"It's gonna be kinda gloomy," Smith said.
As much as a tenth of an inch of rain was expected to fall on the valley floor overnight Thursday into Friday morning, and Friday's forecast calls for a high of 51 and a low of 40 in Medford, with a 20% chance of rain and calm winds throughout the day.
There's a 40% to 50% chance of rain Christmas Eve, with a high of 52 and a low of 42. Christmas Day calls for a slight chance of showers, a high of 57 and a low of 46.
The rains certainly will be welcome, but the National Weather Service's local precipitation tracker shows Medford is still far behind for the water year. As of Thursday, Medford's 2.98 inches of precipitation measured since Oct. 1 is 53% below the 6.28 inches considered "normal" for this time of year.
The Rogue Valley's experience will be far different than the rest of the country's this weekend, according to the National Weather Service's nationwide forecast, which predicts roughly 280 million people will be under some sort of weather advisory between Friday and Sunday — with hazards including significant freezing rain across northern portions of the Pacific Northwest, a powerful Arctic front sweeping the eastern third of the country and heavy snows in the Great Lakes, upstate New York and northern New England.
Freezing rain and ice accumulations are expected Thursday night into Friday morning in the Umpqua Valley in Douglas County, and an ice storm warning in the Willamette Valley near Eugene and Corvallis is expected to last through 7 a.m. Friday.
Some locations still remain below freezing this morning. With precipitation moving in later this afternoon and evening, freezing rain looks likely in the valleys within the northern sections of Douglas County and areas farther north. Use caution if traveling north this evening. pic.twitter.com/PVA2S2FVRq
— NWS Medford (@NWSMedford) December 22, 2022
Although temperatures are expected to lift Friday, Smith said the forecast isn't entirely clear on when conditions will lift above freezing to the north. Friday's forecast in Eugene, for instance, predicts 50 degrees while Salem's morning forecast showed 32.
"I wouldn't want to be traveling north Friday, let's put it that way," Smith said.
Snow levels should rise throughout the weekend on the Siskiyou Summit near the California border and the Sexton summit north of Grants Pass, but motorists who travel on mountain passes should be prepared for winter delays on the drive home.
Smith expects the snow level to start dropping again starting Wednesday owing to a series of cold fronts expected to start moving in early next week.
The National Weather Service and road officials recommend motorists check road conditions before they leave, give other drivers extra space, give themselves extra time and pack a winter car safety kit with essentials.
Freezing rain is likely for portions of north Umpqua Basin and some of our East Side Valleys Tomorrow Afternoon into early Friday morning. More info at https://t.co/ijizR7HW1H #ice #ORwx #freezingrain #NoThankYou #IdRatherHaveSunnyWeather pic.twitter.com/wimdvWZFtP
— NWS Medford (@NWSMedford) December 22, 2022
Recommended winter safety kit items include a flashlight with batteries, drinking water, nonperishable canned food and a can opener, a cellphone and charger, extra blankets, tire chains, extra doses of needed prescription medication and a shovel, sand or other ice melter.
Oregon Department of Transportation makes the latest road conditions available by dialing 511, dialing 1-800-977-6368 or by visiting TripCheck.com. CalTrans makes road conditions available by dialing 1-800-427-7623 or via quickmap.dot.ca.gov.
Reach web editor Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or nmorgan@rosebudmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MTwebeditor.
