Document text
Photo by Bob Pennell Ashland resident Wanda Coffman spent several hours Monday waiting for studded tires at Les Schwab in Ashland. Store officials said they were swamped by motorists and were running three to five hours behind schedule. Grocery stores also were extra busy with people stocking up for the week, despite a forecast for warming temperatures -- even rain by Friday. Brrr! Big chill packs 'em in Motorists flood tire stores, but worst of it could be past, says National Weather Service official By JIM DAVIS and SUSAN JAY Wanda Coffman stood in line for more than four hours Monday to get studded tires at Les Schwab in Ashland. She had plenty of company. "We're getting so well acquainted, we're almost ready to send Christmas cards," said Coffman. Snow -- and arctic temperatures -- caused long lines at tire shops and all sorts of disruptions throughout the Rogue Valley Monday. But the worst of the weather has passed, said Dennis Hess of the National Weather Service in Medford. The sun is expected to shine today, and temperatures should rise to highs in the low 40s by Christmas. Medford was the coldest spot in Western Oregon Monday morning, with a low of 7 degrees. The high hit 23. By Christmas, the weather will be wet, not white, Hess said, although temperatures still may dip below freezing at night. "If there is any snow around by Thursday, the rain will take care of that," Hess said. But on Monday, people were thinking about snow now, not the rain later. The temperatures of the past few days had tire shops brimming with customers, roads clogged with slow-moving travelers and hospitals busy with people bruised from slips and falls on ice. Shoppers poured into the north Fred Meyer Monday to load up on food, said Fred Sowers, store manager. "We're just swamped right now," he said at midday."It looks like they're stocking up more on milk, bread and eggs to last them through the week." Jeff Barber, manager at the Rogue Valley Mall, said he was relieved that the snow came after Saturday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Even so, mall merchants reported fewer shoppers than expected Sunday and Monday because of snow and ice. At Rogue Valley Medical Center, communications manager Leslie deSchweinitz said no cases of hypothermia had been reported, but emergency-room doctors had seen many patients who slipped and fell on ice. Even with this weather, some homeless are sleeping outside. The Gospel Mission saw a capacity crowd over the weekend, but has been busier when the weather wasn't as cold, said director Bill Gourley. People may be staying in abandoned cars and buildings, and some have been lucky enough to go south before this freeze, said Sharon Schreiber, director of Community Emergency Resources and Vital Services, known as CERVS. Craig Baldwin, administrative manager at the Medford airport, said planes have been taking off and landing without problem. He encouraged travelers to take their time getting to the airport. "Get here safely," Baldwin said. "We'll do the rest." John Vial, Oregon Department of Transportation area manager, said his employees told him the weekend's road conditions were some of the most difficult they had seen. On the freeway, the passes north of Grants Pass posed particular problems -- especially Mount Sexton, Vial said. He said that crews spent the weekend and Monday laying thousands of yards of sand on the iciest parts of the road. "We're doing everything we can to keep people moving," Vial said. Drivers, he said, should expect road conditions like this for several more days and drive accordingly. That wasn't good news for Randall Miller, a truck driver getting diesel in Phoenix. Miller was heading north along Interstate 5 and was trying to make it back to his home in Gulfport, Miss., by Christmas. "I'm hoping for sunshine all the way back to my house," he said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA