S.Oregon highway passes getting heavy snow; major winter snow on I-5 near Mt. Shasta

MEDFORD, Ore. -- A very wet and windy storm moving through the Pacific Northwest is expected to bring up to 2 feet of snow in higher elevations, but low enough that it is expected to severely affect travel south and east of the Rogue Valley.

The snow levels started at about 5,000 feet have quickly dropped to about 3,500 feet in Southern Oregon, dropping heavy snow at the Siskiyou Summit, where conditions are deteriorating rapidly. Heavy snowfall and gusty winds are expected through tonight.

RELATED:

• View the latest highway conditions and highway cameras in Jefferson State
• Mount Ashland Ski Area live cam
• Animated weather radar

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until early Saturday morning in the Siskiyou Mountains and southern Cascades of Southern Oregon. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for the Mount Shasta area, which includes the stretch of Interstate 5 near the mountain.

Snow levels earlier predicted to be as low as 2,000 feet have been REVISED to about 2,500-3,000 feet at the lowest, but that includes area highway passes. At 2,500 feet, some areas of Ashland could see snow or mixed precipitation, but accumulations are expected to be light at lower elevations.

High wind warnings have been issued, with the worst expected in the northern Sierra Nevadas in Northern California, with gusts of 133 mph possible at higher elevations.

-----

FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE:

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

A STRONG FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL PUSH ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH TONIGHT. SNOW LEVELS NEAR 5000 FEET AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL DROP TO BETWEEN 3000 AND 4000 FEET...WITH GUSTY WINDS ABOVE 4000 FEET. MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED.

SOUTH CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MOUNT SHASTA...MCCLOUD

A WINTER STORM WARNING ABOVE 3000 FEET REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM PST THIS EVENING.

SNOW LEVELS NEAR 5000 FEET EARLY THIS MORNING WILL FALL TO 4000 FEET DURING THE DAY...THEN FALL TO 2500 TO 3000 FEET THIS EVENING BEFORE PRECIPITATION TAPERS OFF LATE TONIGHT.

SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 8 INCHES WILL OCCUR BETWEEN 3000 AND 4000 FEET THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING...WITH 7 TO 14 INCHES ABOVE 4000 FEET. THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL OCCUR BETWEEN 8 AM AND NOON WITH SNOWFALL RATES LIKELY EXCEEDING ONE INCH PER HOUR. THE HIGHEST ACCUMULATION WILL BE ABOVE 4000 FEET AROUND THE SOUTH SIDE OF MOUNT SHASTA.

WINDS WILL GENERALLY BE BREEZY BELOW 4500 FEET WITH THIS STORM. SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 20 TO 40 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS ARE EXPECTED ABOVE 4500 FEET. THESE WINDS WILL TRANSPORT SNOW AND REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO LESS THAN ONE QUARTER OF A MILE.

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

SOUTHERN OREGON

SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS ABOVE THE LOWER VALLEYS THROUGH TONIGHT...

A STRONG FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL PUSH ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH TONIGHT. SNOW LEVELS NEAR 5000 FEET AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL DROP TO BETWEEN 3000 AND 4000 FEET...WITH GUSTY WINDS ABOVE 4000 FEET. MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED.

SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON CASCADES- SISKIYOU MOUNTAINS AND SOUTHERN OREGON CASCADES- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CRATER LAKE...CRESCENT LAKE... DIAMOND LAKE...UNION CREEK...HOWARD PRAIRIE...SISKIYOU SUMMIT

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 1 AM PST SATURDAY...

TIMING: SNOWFALL WILL BEGIN AROUND SUNRISE THIS MORNING...AND THEN WILL TAPER OFF TO SNOW SHOWERS LATE THIS EVENING.

SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 14 INCHES ARE EXPECTED WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE ABOVE 5500 FEET.

SNOW LEVELS: SNOW LEVELS NEAR 5000 FEET THIS MORNING...WILL FALL TO 3500 FEET LATE THIS MORNING.

IMPACTS: EXPECTED IMPACTS WILL BE ON INTERSTATE 5 AROUND SISKIYOU SUMMIT...AROUND THE MOUNT ASHLAND SKI ROAD...AND FROM UNION CREEK NORTH THROUGH THE CRATER AND DIAMOND LAKE AREAS.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES...AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.