A change in the weather is coming. Today will be the last warm sunny day through the weekend as a cold front begins making it’s way through the area late tonight through Friday. High temperatures today will be around 10-15 degrees above seasonal norms and by Saturday, high temperatures will be 10-15 below seasonal norms. Expect breezy conditions this afternoon and again Friday as the front pushes inland. Snow levels will hover around 4500 ft through Friday, then lower down to 2000 ft overnight Friday. Widespread showers will continue into Saturday and periods of snow will be possible through the afternoon down to 2000 ft. Accumulations of 1 to 3 inches are possible, but there should be minimal impacts to travel due to fairly warm road temperatures. By Sunday, showers should come to an end, leaving the area dry but with cool temperatures.
The main thing with this frontal system will be the drop in temperatures and snow levels. Snow levels on Friday will start out around 6000 feet and will drop to around 2000 feet by Saturday morning. Thus, the biggest temperature drop will be on Friday, and some of our high temperatures on Friday may occur in the morning.
With the snow levels being this low, some snow is expected along some of the major passes, including Siskiyou Summit, Sexton and Canyon Mountain Pass, as well as Lake of the Woods pass and for the roads in the Cascades. Snow amounts will be in the 2 inch to 4 inch range in the Cascades. Mt Shasta (at the Ski park and higher in elevation) could see up to 8 inches of snow before the system concludes, but overall, this system does not seem like it will be incredibly impactful, especially with the previous days warming the roadways as such.
That being said, it appears as if a dusting of snow could happen as low as Ashland in the Rogue Valley, melting as it reaches the ground. Post- frontal showers will continue on Saturday, but there will be breaks of sunny weather as well. Temperatures, however, will still be cool on Saturday, only reaching into the 40s.
No significant snow accumulations are expected for the local Klamath Falls area. Several inches are possible in the Cascades.
-Post based on forecast data and information from NWS Medford
