Snow Smacks Southern OR; More Expected Tonight?

For those of us in the Will Valley enjoying another beautiful 45 degree day replete with intermittent drops of Oregon Sunshine, it may be somewhat of a surprise to learn that it snowed pretty good down in the south end last night. Klamath, Jackson and Josephine Counties got the brunt of the storm, with Ashland receiving about six inches, compared to about three for places like Medford. Up in the passes and mountains, snowfalls ranged from two feet on Mount Ashland to almost three feet around Diamond Lake. (And yes, that's a snowed-over Diamond Lake with Mt. Bailey in the background, pictured at left*). Overnight, it got bad enough that I-5 around the California border was closed due to "blizzard conditions" until about 6 this morning.

If you scroll down through the link to the Trib that I gave you, you can get a pretty decent set of updates starting with today's rush hour, and leading all the way up to tonight's forecast for a couple more inches by tomorrow morning. One blurb I noted with vicarious sadness:

Snow and downed tree limbs have collapsed the cover of the Darex Ice Rink, closing it for the rest of the season, the Ashland Parks and Recreation Department reported.

Officials said the cover had fallen and crews are assessing damage to determine the cause of the failure and whether it can be repaired for future use.

The rink’s regular season was set to end March 4.

Considering how cash-poor those counties are right now, you have to wonder if it will be ready for next year. I don't ice skate, but it strikes me as a terrific form of fun and family-friendly entertainment, particularly in winter when there's less to do outside without heading for the hills.




*photo link courtesy Transworld Snowboarding Magazine Japan