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High winds prompt Mt. Ashland Ski Area closure By Nick Morgan Updated: Jan 07, 2023 11:49 AM A A A snow plow operates outside the Mt. Ashland Ski Area lodge in this undated file photo. Winds in excess of 40 mph prompted the nonprofit ski area to close Saturday. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune] High winds prompted an unscheduled closure at Mt. Ashland Ski Area, and may leave at least one lift out of order for several days. The nonprofit ski area will be closed all day Saturday citing safety concerns due to high winds even at the mountain’s lower elevations and forecasts predicting the wind will last into the night, according to Mt. Ashland’s website and advisories on its official social media channels. Mt. Ashland’s mountain report shows wind speeds in excess of 40 miles per hour with foggy conditions as of Saturday morning. The winds damaged a Sonnet lift communications line, and the lift “may be down for a few days,” according to Mt. Ashland’s website . Lower Juliet Terrain Park is also closed after getting “buried.” The mountain report states that the ski area received 2 new inches of snow over the past 24 hours. The new snow brings snowfall on the mountain to 14 inches over the past seven days and 88 inches for the season. Currently snow levels measure 46 inches on the lower mountain, 49 inches mid mountain and no snow on the summit. Crews “toughed the winds” Friday night and groomed some of the lower mountain, but even lower level lifts such as Windsor was “seeing considerable movement” along the line Saturday morning. “Our team worked hard to try to make today happen, but ultimately we have to keep everyone safe,” the Mt. Ashland advisory on Facebook states. Any customers who prepaid for items such as private lessons, tickets or rentals may arrange to have their purchases rescheduled or refunded by calling 541-482-2897 or by emailing [email protected] . The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for large portions of Jackson County including the cities of Medford and Ashland through 4 a.m. Sunday. More specifically the advisory warns of southeast winds between 15 and 30 mph with gusts between 45 and 60 for the southern end of the Rogue Valley and the Cascade foothills including the cities of Medford, Ashland Phoenix and Talent. Roadways impacted include the stretches of Interstate 5 between Medford and the Siskiyou summit near the California border and portions of Highway 140. Southeast winds are expected to surge starting around 7 p.m. Saturday, potentially causing tree limbs to fall and power outages in areas that include the foothills and the northern portion of Jackson County, according to the National Weather Service advisory last updated shortly before 10 a.m. The forecast for Mt. Ashland calls for snow flurries and winds as high as 40 mph to last through Saturday evening. Sunday’s forecast calls for snow and “breezy” conditions with wind speeds around 24 mph and gusts in the 40s on the mountain, and Monday’s forecast calls for winds that at times will be in the upper 30s with gusts up to 55 mph. Reach web editor Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MTwebeditor.