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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 January 11, 2007 Click image for larger view Bill Williams, who categorized himself as �transitional homeless,� reads before retiring for the night on Wednesday at a temporary shelter at the United Church of Christ in Ashland. Williams says the colder it gets outside the more likely he is to lose his possessions. (Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli) Shelter from the cold Temperature records appear safe, but valley residents will need to bundle up By chris conrad Mail Tribune Bill Williams has hiked through Kansas and Missouri during harsh prairie snowstorms, so he knows a thing or two about the cold. And with temperatures in the Rogue Valley expected to reach the low 20s over the next couple of days — still a far cry from what Williams has experienced during Midwest winters — he was relieved Wednesday to have somewhere warm to spend the night. Williams and around seven other area homeless men and women gathered at the United Church of Christ along Siskiyou Boulevard in Ashland to escape the plummeting temperatures. "I'd stay a couple more days here with the weathering being so severe," Williams said. Pastor Pamela Shepherd and church member Ruth Coulthard felt the need to open the Ashland church when they heard the mercury was going to fall to around six degrees Friday night in the city. Advertisement "When it reaches these temperatures it's like an emergency situation to me," Coulthard said. Volunteers from other churches, including the Ashland Christian Fellowship, agreed to help through the night. Cardboard boxes were provided for bedding. A small wood stove warmed the room while the weather refugees slept. Shepherd is considering keeping the church open for the next couple of days, at least until the cold snap passes. "It's a day-by-day basis right not," she said. "We'll see how it works out." Meanwhile, weather forecasters had predicted between one and three inches of snow to reach the valley floor Wednesday night. A small front pushed through the area early in the afternoon, dropping traces of snow in east Medford and Ashland. Oregon State Police troopers enforced a chain restriction on the Siskiyou Summit. Traffic flowed over the pass without any major accidents as of 10 p.m., OSP officials said. As cold as it may be over the next three days, weather forecasters are not expecting any records to fall. Temperatures could drop to between 11 and 13 degrees tonight and Friday night. The coldest reported temperature for Jan. 11 in Medford was minus-3 degrees, according to National Weather Service climate records. Ashland could tie a record low Friday night with a forecast of 6 degrees. Today could be it for snow accumulation for the foreseeable future, with a predicted one inch on the ground in both Medford and Ashland. Highs are expected to climb into the mid-30s by the weekend, forecasters said. "This is unusually cold for this area," Coulthard added. "People are sometimes not prepared for these temperatures." Reach reporter Chris Conrad at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] . Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 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