And not too crowded, either by the looks of things. Woo Hoo!
12/15/02
DAVE HOGAN
For today, the Weather Service predicts rain in Western Oregon and Southwest Washington. East winds of 15 to 30 mph are expected near the Columbia River Gorge, with south to southeast winds of 15 to 30 mph elsewhere in the Portland area, and gusts up to 45 mph late in the day.
Winds up to 80 mph on the headlands are expected along the coast.
Mount Hood ski areas found little cheer in the storm Saturday.
Warm, wet weather prevailed at Timberline, Mt. Hood Meadows and Mt. Hood Ski Bowl.
Two chairlifts at Timberline carted diehard skiers up the slopes Saturday, but rain put Sunday's operation on standby.
Mt. Hood Meadows and Mt. Hood Ski Bowl will remain closed at least until Monday.
Forecasts call for freezing levels to drop. If moisture accompanies the lower temperatures, ski areas could find themselves in snow and in business. The Weather Service said 3- to 6-inch snow accumulations were possible in the northern Oregon Cascades, where the snow level is expected to drop to about 2,000 feet by Tuesday.
California flooding The storm also drenched Northern California, where rain-swollen rivers rose to flood levels while high winds, dangerous surf, snow and a rare coastal tornado greeted residents Saturday.
"I would say north of San Francisco on up to Oregon will probably see the worst parts of it," said Diana Henderson of the National Weather Service.
The storm brought the heaviest rain to the coast -- by Saturday morning, the 24-hour rain total in some mountain areas surpassed 9 inches. The downpour eased a bit but gained strength by afternoon, with wind bursts driving rain horizontally in the San Francisco Bay Area.
By midday, rain and thunderstorms prompted flood warnings along the Sacramento, Russian and Napa rivers. Minor flooding was expected when waters crested Saturday evening.
"The river is close, but it has not gone over the edges yet," said Mary Baker, a cashier at the Nu-Way Market in Los Molinos, across the Sacramento River from Tehama.
Flooding in one creek near Redding forced rescuers to pluck a couple from a marooned station wagon late Friday.
Rare tornado In Humboldt County near Ferndale, the Weather Service reported a rare tornado that started as a water spout in the Pacific Ocean and moved ashore about 10:30 a.m. No damage was reported.
Forecasters said winds could reach up to 60 mph. In San Francisco, midday gusts tossed scaffolding from a seven-story building, injuring a passer-by and damaging several cars.
Power outages were reported across the region.
The storm was a mixed blessing for skiers in the Sierras.
Rachael Woods, a spokeswoman for Alpine Meadows on Lake Tahoe's north shore, said lifts were closed Saturday because of winds up to 85 mph. But the weekend's snowfall in the area could total 2 feet or more, and lifts were expected to reopen today.
In Clackamas County, the sheriff's office canceled a search-and-rescue training exercise scheduled for Saturday afternoon on Mount Hood because of the weather. The event was canceled less than 12 hours before more than 100 volunteers were supposed to meet near Government Camp, where a mock emergency scenario, probably involving a "missing person," would have been played out. Emergency workers from a half-dozen agencies had planned to practice lessons learned from a May climbing accident on Mount Hood. The Air National Guard's 1042nd Air Ambulance had planned to conduct a hoist operation. The Associated Press and Gail Kinsey Hill and Melissa Jones of The Oregonian staff contributed to this report. Dave Hogan: 503-221-8531; davehogan@news.oregonian.com
I'm going up to Big White in Canada in a couple of weeks -- they're supposed to get over 60 inches in the coming week alone.