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Snow, freezing rain didn't materialize Thursday Outlook calls for warming trend The shivery-cold that left ice on the streets and froze water pipes throughout the Rogue Valley apparently has passed for now. Temperatures were expected to rise to 44 degrees today and the snow level was expected to climb to 5,000 feet later in the afternoon -- well above the 1,300-foot elevation of the Rogue Valley floor. "Our big cold push is over for the time being," said Roger Gerig of the National Weather Service in Medford. Saturday morning's low is expected to be 32 degrees and Saturday's high could be as warm as 45. The Rogue Valley was also spared the brunt of a storm that was moving into the area on Thursday. Forecasters had predicted rain -- possibly snow and freezing rain -- for Thursday. But the beginning of that storm was drier than expected, forecasters said. Late Thursday night, rain was beginning to fall in Merlin and in Brookings. That rain could cause some ice problems this morning, weather forecasters said. But as Christmas presents get unwrapped and breakfasts get eaten, temperatures will rise. Gerig said more rain could fall throughout today, but the higher temperatures should mean no snow or freezing rain. "This storm front is not as cold as the last one," he said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA