Wet & Wild Weekend, Dec. 19

News release from the National Weather Service at Medford. A very wet and relatively mild storm system will impact the region this weekend. The heaviest precipitation is forecast at the coast and in the Oregon Cascades. Lower precipitation amounts are expected east of the Cascades and across northeast California. Snow levels will begin near or a little below the mountain passes Friday night and Saturday morning but rise to above the passes by Saturday afternoon and evening, rising even further on Sunday. The heaviest precipitation rates will occur on Saturday when snow levels should be mainly above pass levels. Rivers will experience rapid rises. The rivers most at risk of flooding will be near the coast and in the Umpqua Basin. At this time, no major rivers are forecast to reach flood stage. Travelers going over the mountain passes on Saturday morning could encounter snowy conditions but improvements will occur as snow levels rise due to a warm front lifting north of the area Saturday afternoon and evening. The rain will benefit the drought situation by improving soil moisture and bumping up very low reservoirs. However, once again the snowpack at mid and even higher elevations will see no gains with this mild storm.