Southern Oregon snow closes schools and freeway

GRANTS PASS, Ore. — Some rural schools were closed and other classes were delayed Monday after southern Oregon residents awoke to another shot of snow. The storm also downed power lines and forced a temporary closure of Interstate 5.

More snow was predicted for Tuesday in the Rogue Valley as a low pressure system stalled in the Gulf of Alaska sent waves of wet, unstable air into the Northwest, meteorologist Mike Stavish said at the National Weather Service in Medford.

High in the Cascade Range, Crater Lake National Park closed access roads until at least Tuesday after getting 34 inches of snow. Another 24 inches was expected.

Up to 3,900 customers in the Applegate and Provolt areas lost power, but most saw the lights return by midmorning, said Monte Mendenhall of Pacific Power.

The snow was good for mountain snowpacks that serve as a natural water storage system, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Water content for the Rogue-Umpqua river basins went from below 70 percent to 88 percent of average.

In Josephine County, schools closed in Cave Junction, Wolf Creek and Williams, while the rest of the Three Rivers School District opened doors two hours late. Grants Pass schools opened on time.

The Oregon Department of Transportation closed Interstate 5 for two hours late Sunday night between Hugo and Glendale to get plows on the Mount Sexton, Smith Hill and Stage Road passes, said spokesman Gary Leaming. Chains were required Monday morning going over the Siskiyou Summit.

“Our message to motorists is ’Carry chains, food and water,’ “ Leaming said. “It’s winter.”