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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News AP Entertainment Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Holiday Guide Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend December 15, 2006 Storm brings wind, rain, delays Downed power lines, trees add up to a mess; forecast predicts more of the same Staff and wire reports Power lines snapped, trees fell and dozens of roads closed Thursday night as a bruising Pacific storm swept into Oregon and Washington, putting Rogue Valley authorities on alert. Heavy rains and high winds topping 90 mph slammed into the Oregon coast, darkening thousands of homes and paralyzing travel, officials said. The storm was expected to intensify overnight, with rain, wind and snow in Locally, Josephine County received the brunt of the storm early Thursday evening, where power was knocked out to 9,300 homes and several roads closed because of debris. As of 10 p.m., Jackson County was relatively quiet in comparison. Stiff winds pushed over trees on Highway 62 near Prospect and Highway 99 near Gold Hill, Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman John Vial said. Advertisement "It would be easier to list the roads without trees across them than with them right now," Vial said, speaking of the counties east and north of the Rogue Valley. Coastal communities were blasted by wind Thursday, including a gust of up to 97 mph at Rockaway Beach before 5 p.m. Garibaldi and Lincoln City recorded gusts topping 90 mph on the coast, and wind reached 48 mph in Corvallis and 46 in Hillsboro. Pacific Power spokesman Monte Mendenhall said a fallen limb severed a power line along Savage Creek Road at around 8 p.m., cutting power to a few hundred customers in Rogue River. There also was a reported gas leak at that location, which caused concern for road crews and Oregon State Police. Mendenhall could not say when power would be restored to the Rogue River residents. Jackson County remained under a snow and wind advisory late Thursday, though the Siskiyou Pass remained open at 10 p.m. The wind was fierce on the pass, but it remained too warm for snow with temperatures hovering in the low 40s, Vial said. "If we have snow on the pass it could make for some difficult driving," he added. "We certainly hope the winds stops before we see any snowfall." By this morning, weather officials were calling for 2 to 4 inches of snow, with snow levels falling to 2,000 feet. Snow could possibly reach the valley floor by today, officials said. The Coast Guard said various river bar entrances and coastal bay entrances in Oregon had been ordered closed to maritime traffic. Road closures from falling debris included sections of U.S. 26 west of Portland and U.S. 101 on the coast. Three major highways crossing the Cascade Range from the Willamette Valley — U.S. 20, Oregon 22 and Oregon 58 — were shut down because of fallen trees or downed power lines. The highways were not expected to reopen until ODOT maintenance crews and utility companies can repair damage and clean up debris — and much of the work could not begin until after daylight, officials said. "It's just too unsafe out there to take chances with people's lives," ODOT District 4 Manager Bob Doran said Thursday night. "The brunt of the storm hasn't yet hit, so we are expecting more trees to come down later tonight." Pacific Power, which covers most of the state outside the Portland metro area, said at least 93,000 homes had no electricity Thursday afternoon. Portland General Electric reported about 210,000 homes without power, scattered west of Interstate 5 between Portland and Salem. The National Weather Service said rainfall was expected to be as high as 8 inches on the coast and 5 inches in the Cascade Range, with snow at higher elevations. The Willamette Valley was likely to get 2 to 3 inches of rain, forecasters said. Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Men's Clothing Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Discount Hotel Reservations Send Flowers Casinos Canada Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com