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Snowstorm closes I-5 at summit Snow level could fall to 1,500 feet today, bringing flakes to Medford By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune Heavy snow closed the Interstate 5 Siskiyou pass late Thursday, and Mount Ashland suspended night skiing. With 20-inch snow drifts piled up on the side of the freeway, north- and southbound traffic over the Siskiyous was halted around 8:10 p.m. Thursday. Oregon Department of Transportation officials had no information on when the pass might reopen. Motorists sought shelter in motels near Ashland's south freeway exit. Managers said they expected to see stranded travelers straggling in all night. The Red Cross said it would open shelters in the Rogue Valley as they were needed. Snow levels were forecast to drop to 3,500 feet with winds picking up to 20 to 30 mph in the Siskiyou Mountains late Thursday, prompting managers to cancel night skiing. "It was just gonna be a mess up here tonight," said Mount Ashland manager Bruce Meek. Night skiing was scheduled to resume tonight, and the new snow - a foot or more was in the forecast - would set up the ski area for a successful Christmas season, Meek said. Snow at the peak measured more than 6 feet Thursday afternoon and 41/2 feet at the base. A foot of snow was forecast to pile up today in the Mount Shasta area - also subject to the storm warning - and wind gusts between 15 and 25 mph were expected, said Dennis Hess, meteorologist at the National Weather Service Medford Forecast Office. Today's temperatures in the lower 30s would dip into the 20s by Saturday, he added. "It's gonna be nasty anywhere in the higher elevations," he said. Medford could see a smidgen of snow if levels fall as projected to 1,500 feet early today, possibly bringing an inch of snow. Temperatures will be in the mid-30s and winds between 10 and 20 mph in the valley. Temperatures in the mid-40s Saturday will turn any snow to rain, which should sprinkle in the valley off and on through Tuesday, said Hess. The next storm system should blow in Wednesday, he said. For the latest road conditions, visit ODOT's Tripcheck site at www.tripcheck.com on the Web. Mount Ashland's ski report is available by calling 541-482-2SKI or 541-770-2SKI or at www.mtashland.com on the Web. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.