A cold front brought the colder and windy weather yesterday and now a cut-off low will live in the Pacific Northwest for the remainder of the workweek. Disturbances will wrap around the low bringing shower activity through early Friday with breaks in the rain and clouds at times. A break from the rain with some sunshine this morning before a disturbance brings increasing showers activity late this morning through this evening. Snow levels start around 2,500 feet this morning and will be climbing through the day up to 3,500/4,000 feet. Another break from the showers overnight into tomorrow morning with showers returning late Thursday through early Friday.

In heavy showers, especially over the Cascades passes, visibility may be low at times. Also be prepared for slushy, slick and icy roads especially over the higher terrain and east of the Cascades. Showers can produce gusty winds and small hail. Winds won’t be as strong as yesterday, but still breezy, strongest wind gust yesterday was 55 mph at Long Prairie, just inland from the coast. Through Friday morning be prepared for wintry travel.

Now to the holiday weekend: The good news, it will be warmer, the bad news for outdoor activities, the chance for showers persists. The cut-off low will open up and allow waves of energy to slide down the backside and bring us a chance for isolated afternoon thundershowers east of the Cascades on Saturday. Chance for region-wide solated light showers possible Sunday and most of Memorial Day will be pleasant with increasing clouds and showers moving in Monday evening with rain on Tuesday. This weekend we will also be warmer with highs back in the low to mid-70s west side and mid-60s on the east side. Shower activity will not cause events to be a wash-out, but you may want to bring the umbrella.

For more weather and road reports follow me on Facebook. Thanks for logging on and travel safe!

Meteorologist Megan Parry

After the devastating EF-5 Oklahoman tornado tore through the town of Moore, many are wondering what exactly allowed for a storm of this nature to develop. Just a day before, the Oklahoma City area was targeted with numerous tornado touch downs.

The peak estimated wind speeds were 200-210 mph.  The width of the twister was 1.3 miles and for this reason, it was referred to as a “wedge tornado.” The path of destruction is approximated to be a long & deadly 17 miles.

It is important to understand that tornadoes of this sort, EF-4 & EF-5, are very rare. Their occurrence in the Northwest is nearly non-existent. Twisters can form anywhere, any time of year. However, the mountainous terrain of Southwest Oregon are not favorable conditions for tornado development.

There are many factors that came into play this past Monday across the Central Plains. First, the primary ingredients for any type of thunderstorm growth is a lifting mechanism, moisture, and instability. All three were in full force and not only one but two lifting mechanisms were present- a cold front and dry line.

The clashing of warm and cold air along the cold front, acts as a lift to rise surface air. The dry line separates a gradient of very dry vs. moist air. The moisture coming up from the Gulf of Mexico is one of the main drivers of severe weather across the Central Plains. Because there land is so flat, the moisture is not blocked by any terrain and freely moves north when the winds are out of the south, southeast.

In addition to this, the strong daytime heating of the sun, allowed for lots of rising air. This is known as instability. The placement of the jet stream was an important factor as well. There was a jet streak present, an area of winds in excess of 100mph, very high in the atmosphere. These enhanced high level winds also enhanced the wind shear. Wind shear refers to the changing of wind speed & direction with height. Not only did we have winds from the Southeast, but also the South, the Northwest, and the West from the jet stream.

It is not often that all of these factors will come together at the same time. It was a matter of bad luck, and coincidence that Moore, Ok. has experienced now two times, the horrifying and terrible reality of nature’s deadliest force.

MEDFORD, Ore. — After dark, you may notice little pests roaming around in your gardens. As Marsha explains, in order to prevent your crops from being damaged, it’s important to know what type of bug is doing the feeding before you purchase the right product.

For more information, consult the OSU Master Gardeners Hotlines– Jackson County: 541-776-7371 Josephine County: 541-476-6613 Klamath County: 541-883-7131 Curry County: 541-247-6672.

CENTRAL POINT, Ore. — The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said that neither of the schools hit by the tornado had safe rooms.

FEMA had funded safe rooms for more than 100 schools in the state but these two were not among them. It’s a situation that is among the worst a family could experience. Whether it’s a natural disaster like what happened in Oklahoma, or threats of violence like in Sandy Hook, it’s bringing attention to what schools are doing to keep kids safe.

School officials say tornado risk might be low here in Oregon, but there are plenty of scenarios that do present a threat. Things like earthquakes, snow or ice storms, and violence.

Each school district is responsible for creating their own plan, but officials say many of them follow similar steps. Administrators with central point school district say they plan for two different scenarios: school lockdowns and school evacuations.

Each classroom is equipped with emergency kits that have first aid, flashlights, food, candles, and even playing cards for entertainment. They say teachers are also trained in how to keep kids hidden away from dangerous spots like windows, but they say evacuations are much more difficult.

Things like earthquakes can make buildings unsafe for gathering, and can ruin roads. Plus, with hundreds or even thousands of students, they say it’s hard to keep head counts.

“That’s where it gets a little tricky. When you start evacuating and moving large amounts of people, especially when they have to be reunited with someone else,” said Central Point Middle School Principal David Heart.

Most, if not all, local schools have planning kits with information on disasters. They contain numbers to call, maps, and plans specific to each scenario. Most districts also have liaisons, or school resource officers, assigned from local police.

Schools officials say parents can look to them to provide up-to-date information if a disaster occurs, but they say once the kids are safe and accounted for, they look to set aside a spot for families to reunite.

GRANTS PASS, Ore. — When votes are counted in Josephine County on Election Night, School District 7 officials and patrons will be looking to see if they will be paying for school construction and repairs for another five years.

A $17.5 million bond measure is proposed for construction of kindergarten classrooms at every district elementary school, new door locks to help keep intruders out, and other repairs and improvements that district officials say have not been taken care of for several years, and timing is a big factor.

“I think that one of the reasons that the board did consider is, with regard to the timing was not only the fact that the current bond levy that out there for the construction of the high school and Parkside […] is they’re scheduled to be paid off here this fiscal year. And, and interest rates are still at a historic low,” said District Superintendent John Higgins.

The lone statement in opposition in the voters’ pamphlet says none of the construction or repair issues is as important as focusing on student achievement and reducing dropout rates.

A cold front off shore this morning will pass through the region this afternoon bringing gusty winds, rain and a drastic drop in temperatures. The limiting factor with this storm will be moisture and thus most of the precipitation will be along and west of the Cascades in southern Oregon, in particular at the coast and higher elevations. The coast has a slight chance for isolated thunderstorms this afternoon with the potential for small hail to form. Inland areas could see graupel the next few days as well, especially for higher elevations. Elevations above 2,500 feet by tomorrow morning will be switching from rain to snow! Snow levels drop to 2,500 feet tonight and while snow will not accumulate at first  because roads and soils are still warm, the Cascade passes could see some snow-covered and slick roads by tomorrow morning as temperatures plummet tonight.  Starting this evening through Thursday we could see the following snow totals:

Cascade Passes and Siskiyou Summit: 2″-5″

Kalmiopsis including the newly re-opened Bear Camp Road: 8″-16″

Oregon Cascades: 4″-8″

Siskiyou County and east of the Cascades will see lesser totals but could potentially be up to 3 inches.

With gusty winds today and falling snow tonight the potential for wintery travel will be present, especially by tomorrow morning after snow has had a chance to stick to the roads. While east of the Cascades will see isolated to scattered showers, starting tonight most will be in the form of snow; and winds will be the main concern as gusts up to 45 to 55 mph are possible and a Wind Advisory has been issued from noon until 8 tonight for that area.

A cold air mass will settle over the Pacific Northwest through the remainder of the work week with Wednesday being the coldest day. Temperatures tomorrow morning will be near record lows; well below freezing on the east side could cause pipes to burst thus precautions should be made to protect your pipes. Some localized areas of the west side valleys of southern Oregon could see a frosty start to the day, with the highest threat for frost in the Shasta Valley where a Freeze Watch is in effect late tonight through early tomorrow morning.

Our Memorial Day weekend will be more mild (seasonable) in terms of temperatures but another disturbance will bring another chance for showers late weekend.

I’ll have the latest road reports tomorrow morning and will bring you the all the details on this storm, follow me on Facebook for more. Thanks for logging on and have a great Tuesday!

Meteorologist Megan Parry

MEDFORD, Ore. — A Southern Oregon school got the chance to meet its Sparrow for the first time today as the students wrap up this year’s involvement in Sparrow Clubs.

This year, Rogue Valley Adventist Academy completed more hours of community service than there are students. 2-year-old Mateo Lopez is getting ready for only his 3rd family trip out of the house in nearly his entire life; it means bringing along the machines keeping him alive.

The toddler, with a form of dwarfism, has spent much of his life in hospitals. Mateo has battled constant seizures, pneumonia, and his organs shutting down. Now, he’s doing much better living at home, and on this day, he’s leaving the house – a rare trip that’s only possible with his nurse’s wheelchair van.

Mateo is heading to meet the students who adopted him as a Sparrow for the first time and who spent the year raising money to make sure Mateo’s family can take more trips like this one with their own van.

Rogue Valley Adventist Academy students are helping the Lopez family by completing the 256-sponsored community service hours. Between only 150 students, they did more than 300 hours. For each hour, they completed a form in which they described how Mateo impacted their lives.

The Lopez family has yet to purchase a wheelchair van, but are closer to finding one that can fit the entire family of four and Mateo’s equipment.

MEDFORD, Ore. — If Monday afternoon seemed to be a good day to take the family dog for a walk to the park, keep in mind that this is National Dog Bite Prevention Week.

A study released today says that Oregon is 15th in the nation in the number of insurance claims paid for dog bite injuries in 2012 – that’s up from 21st place the year before.

The U.S. Postal Service, State Farm Insurance and several other companies are sponsors of National Dog Bite Prevention Week. Medford State Farm Agent, Rory Wold, says any breed dog can be a biter, so homeowners and dog owners need to be careful, especially around small children.

“Doesn’t necessarily mean what breed,” Wold explains. “Good dogs in each breed. There are bad dogs in each breed, just as there are responsible owners in each breed. So, it really comes down to how you train the dog. How you socialize the dog. How you care for the dog, and then just, you know, use common sense and caution.”

Owners we talked with at the Bear Creek Dog Park agreed that the training of dogs and people, especially kids, helps prevent many dog bite situations.

Wold says State Farm paid out $1.2 million in dog bite injury claims last year in Oregon. It is estimated that all insurance companies paid about $489 million nationally last year for dog bites.

MEDFORD, Ore. — After 25 years, the Medford Urban Renewal Agency, or MURA, is soon to be no more. The agency is preparing to spend its last few dollars, a proposed $10.5 million.

The Downtown Commons was one of the many projects the Urban Renewal Agency helped orchestrate. Now that MURA is closing the books, another group, the non-profit Heart of Medford Association, says they want to pick up where they leave off.

City officials say many of the public dollars spent by MURA have been on brick and mortar improvements, which means things like beautification, parking structures, traffic signals, and infrastructure improvements.

Now, the Heart of Medford Association says they want to create what’s called an economic improvement district. Downtown businesses vote to tax themselves in support of downtown development, and then work with the Heart of Medford to figure out where those dollars will be spent.

Heart of Medford says rather than investing in infrastructure, they want to focus on marketing what downtown Medford has to offer.

Heart of Medford says economic improvement districts have been created in about 1,200 cities across the country. That includes Portland, Salem, Bend, and many other cities across Oregon.

She says there has been some controversy, but the model has largely been successful.

CNN contributed to this report. ABC News has continuing livestream coverage.

[UPDATE: 6:30 p.m. Monday] MOORE, Okla. — At least 51 are dead after a massive tornado struck the Oklahoma City area. Eyewitnesses report schools demolished and children trapped. More than 38,000 are reported without power.

[PREVIOUS STORY] A second round of severe weather has begun developing across the Central Plains. A massive tornado tore through a densely populated Moore, Oklahoma on Monday afternoon.

The tornado touched the ground in Duncan and moved east, northeast into Moore, south of Oklahoma City. Monday’s tornado is estimated to be about two-miles wide. The destruction is extensive with countless homes and businesses flattened. Meteorologists from the area are reporting the damage to be the worse they have ever seen.

Moore experienced a devastating tornado about a decade ago, in May of 1999. The tornado was ranked an EF-5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, the strongest a tornado can be in meteorological terms. It is likely that Monday’s twister which passed through the town again had wind speeds of the same nature, as the damage appears to be worse than the horrifying past twister.

At least two people have been killed in this severe weather event. More than 171,000 people could have been in the path of the storm.