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SUNNY Temp: 77 °F Wind: NNW at 11 mph Tuesday, May 20, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend December 20, 2002 Snowboarders weather a blustery storm on Mount Ashland�s opening day Thursday. Despite high winds and low visibility, snow buffs said it was great to be back on the mountain. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Wind power Lost power, downed trees hit Valley; snow-swept summit closed 4 hours By PAUL FATTIG and ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Winds whipping up to 50 mph popped power lines and toppled trees throughout Jackson County on Thursday. More than 2,100 residents from Ashland to the Applegate Valley lost power because of the storm, which gusted to 51 mph at the National Weather Service station at the Medford airport. Most had their electricity restored by Thursday night. The high winds also caused blizzard-like conditions atop the Siskiyou Summit, prompting the Oregon Department of Transportation to temporarily stop southbound traffic at milepost 11 on Interstate 5. The interstate was closed at 4 p.m. and re-opened at 8 p.m. The winds are expected to die down today, said Chuck Glaser, a meteorological technician for the weather service. "We are expecting winds of 25 to 35 (this morning) but they should be down to 15 to 25 by midday," he said, adding that about a half-inch of rain will fall on the valley floor in the next 48 hours. "It’s calming down a bit," he added. Most of those left in the dark were plugged back in by Thursday evening, according to Pacific Power spokesman Monte Mendenhall. In the Applegate Valley, downed trees and a car accident caused outages in Ruch, Thompson Creek, Applegate and the Little Applegate areas, he reported. About 600 residents north of Ashland were out of power for several hours Thursday morning, he said. In Eagle Point, 60 residents were without power for a little over an hour late in the morning in the area of Brophy and Ball roads, he said. Another 75 residents in the Talent area were also unplugged Thursday afternoon, he said, adding that most have since had their electricity restored. However, Pacific Power crews continued to work on some isolated outages Thursday night. During the day, the high winds kept firefighters scrambling to reports of downed power lines and fallen trees. Between 10:30 and 11 a.m., 10 calls of downed power lines flooded Ashland Fire and Rescue. Trees uprooted by strong winds also disturbed underground utilities, Ashland firefighters said. In Medford, firefighters responded to a report of a tree that fell and damaged an apartment building on Table Rock Road. They flagged the area to ensure public safety until the owner can make repairs, a battalion chief said. The Medford fire department’s planned practice burn at 2415 Glory C Road was canceled because of high winds. It’s tentatively rescheduled for today, weather permitting. Mark Moran, a deputy fire marshal with Fire District No. 3, said he saw many downed trees — including some blocking driveways — lots of peeling shingles and even a flying car cover. The metal roof of the district’s station on East Antelope Road started peeling back, but firefighters made quick repairs to prevent major damage. Meanwhile, the snow level is expected to be near 3,000 feet tonight. A weather break is expected Sunday and Monday, followed by another storm blowing in Tuesday. Saturday marks the first day of winter. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S