High Wind Warning, Dec. 19

National Weather Service Bulletin. The National Weather Service in Medford has issued a High Wind Warning…which is in effect from 7 AM to 4 PM PST Tuesday. * Winds…South 50 to 60 mph with gusts to 70 mph. Cape Blanco winds will be south at 70 mph with gusts as high as 85 mph. * Timing…7 AM through 4 PM with the strongest winds occurring after 10 am. * Locations include…Portions of the Coast and Highway 101 from Port Orford to Denmark including Cape Blanco. * Impacts…Travel on area roadways could become difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles. * View the hazard area in detail at https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mfr/HAZARD Precautionary/preparedness actions… A High Wind Warning means a hazardous high wind event is expected or occurring. Sustained wind speeds of at least 40 mph or gusts of 58 mph or more can lead to property damage. Travel will be impacted, especially for high profile vehicles. Slow down and allow extra time to reach your destination.  Update summary:  After a few weeks of high pressure and air stagnation, a strong front is expected to cross the Pacific Northwest. After gusty winds and periods of moderate to heavy rain, snow levels will be dropping quickly after the front passes, and this will lead to snow over all area passes, including those on Interstate 5 between Grants Pass and Roseburg, and the lower Passes of Hayes Hill and Jacksonville Hill. Snow levels will drop to around 1300 feet just before precipitation ends, allowing for some snow to make it to the valley floors, but amounts below 2000 feet should be light. Depending on the timing and the intensity of precipitation, snow levels could drop to 1000 feet locally. Post-event conditions are not conducive to melting as we should remain cloudy on Wednesday and then clear out Wednesday night allowing temperatures to become cold across the area. This means that any accumulated snow could be longer-lived than normal.