Rain & Thunderstorms Expected Thursday and Friday in Douglas County

After 14 weeks or so of dry weather, rain is finally expected starting Thursday. Close to a 1/2 of rain is expected to fall in Douglas County according to NWS out of Medford. Thunderstorms are possible as well. Be very careful on the roads as a lot of oil has built up. Here is the full report from the NWS Medford. (NWS) KEY POINTS ● Smoke at the coast has cleared and no significant smoke there through Sat at least. ● Heavy smoke over inland areas west of Cascades. Some improvement expected late this afternoon and again Thursday afternoon. Best chance for healthy conditions Friday afternoon (see attached imagery). ● Red Flag Warning for gusty winds and low humidity east of Cascades this afternoon and Thursday afternoon. ● Thunderstorms possible Thursday afternoon/evening primarily Jackson, Josephine, and Douglas Counties. Some storms could be severe and bring strong winds, hail, and brief periods of heavy rainfall. Heavy rain on any burn scars can wash debris onto roadways. ● Mt Ashland RADAR will be down for required maintenance into next week, and staff at Medford NWS will be utilizing additional data sources to help protect life and property ● There is some uncertainty in terms of how much smoke will impact thunderstorm development. ● Rainfall chances begin Thursday from Cascades westward with better chances for wetting rainfall Friday from Cascades westward including Western Siskiyou County. ● Roads could become especially hazardous/slippery due to oil buildup after near-record streak of dry weather in the region (see attached imagery) ● From the Cascades westward, no hot, dry, windy events are expected through at least the middle of next week. Multiple major wildfires are ongoing in the region, and we are experiencing historically poor air quality in our forecast area. Little improvement has occurred away from the coast due to a rather stagnant weather pattern. That will change soon as we have a significant low approaching from the west Thursday and moving overhead Friday. Rain chances and higher humidity are good news for the overall fire and smoke situation, but there are hazards that will accompany this change. First, thunderstorms are possible Thursday afternoon/evening, primarily over Josephine, Jackson, and Douglas Counties. Some of these could become severe with strong winds, frequent lightning, and large hail. Second, much of Southern Oregon has not received rainfall in over 90 days. Oils can build up on roadways, and during first rainfall, roads can become especially slippery. Third, if any storms produce heavy rain over wildfire burn scars, debris can be washed onto nearby roadways.