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Spring storm drops snow on mountains By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune Don't be surprised if Mount McLoughlin sports a fresh new white coat when skies clear. Winter's last gasp rolled across Southern Oregon and Northern California Monday, pushing snow levels down to around 6,000 feet in the Oregon Cascades and dumping more than a foot of new snow above 7,500 feet on Mount Shasta. "It's really quite unusual to get a storm like this, this late in the spring," said meteorologist Dan Weygand of the National Weather Service's Medford station. Weygand said temperatures will remain below normal today and Wednesday but should stay well above freezing at night. Temperatures are expected to return to more May-like 70s by Thursday. "The cloud cover will help keep temperatures up," said Weygand. Showers may continue today. The storm blew into Medford Sunday with wind gusts that reached 39 mph, but most of the moisture fell on Northern California. Rain gauges around Mount Shasta collected about 1.5 inches of moisture by late Monday, while Medford had received just .07 inches - the first measurable rain for the month. Snow was expected to continue today on Mount Shasta, raising avalanche hazards just in time for the Memorial Day weekend - a holiday when many mountain climbers try for the summit of the 14,162-foot peak. "It's our busiest weekend," said Matt Hill, a climbing ranger for the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. "It's unfortunate timing." Hill said there was well over a foot of new snow at Bunny Flat, (elevation 6,800 feet) the starting point for the most popular climbing route, and 12 inches more could fall before the storm fades. Climbers who were on the mountain during the weekend came down before conditions deteriorated. "Avalanche dangers are considerable above 7,000 feet," he said. Rain showers fell on Southern Oregon's mountain passes over the Cascades and Siskiyous, but main highway routes out of the Rogue Valley remained snow free. Snow showers fell intermittently at Crater Lake National Park, but the road to the rim was open. The lake, however, often disappeared in the clouds, said Maria Mackie, supervisor of the park's communications center. "It's been mostly light flurries," Mackie said. "It's not a blizzard up here." Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.