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53 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, November 25, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 24, 2004 Rain likely to fall here by Thursday By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune Holiday travelers should have smooth sailing on their way to Thanksgiving dinner, but the drive home could be a bit damp. After three weeks of unseasonably dry weather, mountain passes should be clear of ice and snow as the holiday exodus begins today. Forecasters expect several storms to move across Washington and Oregon over the long holiday weekend, and rain is likely to have settled over Southern Oregon when some travelers head for home. Generally, the farther north you go, the wetter you’re likely to be. Rain was expected to spread across Oregon’s northern half today, and forecasters expected wet weather to continue around Portland through the duration of the weekend. Some rain could fall in Southern Oregon by late tonight, but forecasters were expecting little appreciable moisture here before Thursday. Snow could fall as low as 3,500 feet in the Southern Oregon Cascades Thursday evening, but rain and snow were expected to gradually diminish through Saturday and cease by Sunday. In Northern California, Thanksgiving Day seems likely to be the wettest day, with rain and snow tapering off on Friday and Saturday, and dry weather returning by Sunday. Advertisement Skiers and snowboarders will have to travel to Bend if they want to open the season during the holiday. Neither the Mount Ashland ski area nor the Mount Shasta Board & Ski Park has enough snow to open. As of Tuesday, Mount Ashland had just 2 inches of snow near the lodge and 7 inches at the summit. The ski area needs about 3 feet of snow to cover rocks and downed trees on the cleared trails. Mount Bachelor opened Tuesday with four chair lifts (Skyliner Express, Pine Marten Express, Sunrise Express, Sunshine Accelerator) and 13 ski runs available. Mount Ashland has opened as early as Nov. 16, but not in years. In the ski area’s 40-year history, only 15 seasons have started in November. The average opening day is Dec. 10 — still 17 days away. Plans to open the Mount Shasta Board & Ski Park for Thanksgiving melted away with most of the two feet of snow that blanketed the area just before Halloween. Ski area managers had hoped temperatures would be cold enough to allow snowmaking machines to crank out enough snow to open, but a string of sunny days and a dry spell have left the slopes mostly bare. The ski park has opened by Thanksgiving only once, said marketing director Gene Landsmann. Mount Shasta managers are now planning a Dec. 3 opening. Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities