Rain and soggy snow continued to fall on Western Oregon Sunday, causing road closures and power outages, with more of the same conditions forecast.
Snow lay about four inches deep in parts of the Rogue Valley at daybreak Sunday, with rain falling on the saturated snow for hours afterward. Tree limbs broke off under the weight of the snow, and power lines sagged as well.
Leaning and broken trees in the Oregon Cascades led highway crews to close Oregon Highways 62, 138E, and 230 in the areas around Crater Lake and Diamond Lake. Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) gave no estimate on when the roads might reopen. Pavement remained clear on much of Interstate Five on Sunday, with the standard caution for drivers to carry traction devices.
Pacific Power reported around 25, 000 customers without power in Jackson, Josephine, and Douglas counties by Sunday afternoon, and warned customers that it could take until Monday evening to restore power. The electric company blamed most of the outages on high winds that damaged lines and other facilities.
Mount Ashland Ski Area had more than enough snow to open Sunday, but only intermittent electricity; opening day was pushed to Monday.
The National Weather Service in Medford issued a Winter Storm Warning in effect for much of the region until 10:00 Monday morning. NWS expected more snow to fall through the evening, with accumulations down to 1000 feet above sea level.
UPDATE with school closings: As of Sunday evening (7 PM), these schools announced closings on Monday (Dec. 14) due to weather conditions: Ashland, Three Rivers (Josephine County), and Southern Oregon University (Ashland and Medford campuses).
