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Monday storm brings spotty road problems By ALBERTO ENRIQUEZ When the cloudburst hit east Medford in the wee hours of Monday morning, it was so loud it woke up Mike VanTress of the National Weather Service. "Most people sleep really good during the rain," VanTress said Monday. "As a hydrologist, I don't. I usually wake up." Although Medford got drenched with a seasonable 0.84 inches of rain between 10 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m. Monday, the storm that woke VanTress was nothing like the weekend deluge that sent the Rogue River charging just short of flood stage at 11.8 feet Saturday evening. "Storms of this nature are not uncommon between the end of October and March," Van Tress said. Bear Creek was at 4 feet Monday morning, well above its usual 1-foot level for this time of year, but far below the official flood stage of 10 feet. Seasonable or not, showers Monday caused scattered problems. Gerry Douglas, of Jackson County Roads and Parks, reported water over the road at Antelope and Highway 62, Houston Road and Carpenter Road, and scattered complaints in Ashland, Phoenix and Talent. Fallen trees were blocking the road on Savage Creek. With another front expected to pass over the area by Thursday, Douglas advised caution for commuters and travelers alike. "Watch out for high water, don't drive into any deep puddles that you're not reasonably certain there's something there you can cross," Douglas said. The freezing level was expected to start today at 3,000 feet but rise to 5,500 feet by mid-afternoon. Forecasters expect rain showers to move back into the area this afternoon. In Ashland, the water treatment plant logged 6 inches of rain in 72 hours. City crews have opened the valve at the bottom of the city's reservoir to help release some of the water, and it will stay open as rains continue. Water was expected to spill over the weir, but not the actual dam, Monday night. Ashland Creek is expected to stay within its banks. On the upside, Ski Ashland reported 4 inches of new snow Monday noon with a snowpack of 52 inches at the lodge and 71 inches up top. The popular resort will open Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Night skiing commences on Friday. But in Northern California, the Mount Shasta Skipark reported rain on Monday afternoon, with 7 inches of snow melting to 5 inches before the end of the day. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA