Screaming wind downs forest trees: Crater Lake park, Prospect area hit by gusts of up to 60 mph
Mail Tribune
Medford, Oregon
October 27, 2007
By ANITA BURKE
High winds toppled trees in the mountains around Prospect and Crater Lake National Park Friday morning, closing forest roads and even Highway 62 for a short time.
East winds, estimated at 25 to 35 mph with gusts of up to 50 and 60 mph, kicked up about 6 a.m. around Prospect, said Chuck Glaser, data acquisition manager at the National Weather Service office in Medford.
The winds buffeted the back country and were fiercest above 4,000 feet in elevation. They scoured the region along the Cascade Crest and north into Douglas County.
Forest Service crews and Jackson County Sheriff’s Department search and rescue workers teamed up to patrol the back roads and remove downed trees to reopen roads leading to and from campgrounds. They also checked on hunters and campers, but no injuries were reported, Sheriff Mike Winters said.
Patty Burel, spokeswoman for the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, said forest roads 34 and 37 were blocked. Crews also were sent to look for damage to structures at campgrounds, but no update was available Friday afternoon.
At Beckie’s Cafe and the Trophy Room in Prospect, customers and employees were talking about reports of a crushed fifth-wheel trailer and a damaged horse trailer, but few confirmed details were available.
Dave Grimes, a ranger at the Crater Lake National Park visitors center, said a falling tree had struck a car driving to the park from Klamath Falls. No one was hurt, but the rental car “had a dent on top,” he said.
Park rangers also reported several large, old trees near the park’s residential area blew down, as well as groups of trees in more remote areas of the park. About two dozen mature hemlock trees, ranging in size from 18 inches to four feet in diameter, had snapped or been uprooted in the Castle Creek drainage southwest of the park along Highway 62.
Grimes said Oregon Department of Transportation crews cleared the highway and park crews removed trees from roads in the park.
Around 11:30 a.m. Friday, the weather service issued a special weather statement, warning campers, hikers, hunters and travelers of strong, gusty winds and falling trees.
The statement warned of 25 to 35 mph winds with gusts of 50 mph in the Cascades around Crater Lake, Diamond Lake, Crescent Lake, Union Creek and in the Siskiyous at the Siskiyou Summit and Howard Prairie. It noted that the winds were caused by a high-pressure system over northeast Oregon and a low pressure system off the Oregon coast.
Winds at Crater Lake diminished Friday afternoon and were expected to decrease across the rest of region through Friday evening, Glaser said. Forecasts call for light winds through the weekend.
Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail aburke@mailtribune.com.
Other pages in this section
- Gorgeous and Free: free, guided snowshoe hikes – December 27, 2007
- Chief Ranger Dave Brennan Retires This Month – December 31, 2007
- Finding Your Winter Wonderland – December 15, 2007
- Exploring Crater Lake in Winter: Volunteers Answer Pressing Questions – December 15, 2007
- A part of history: Annual Great Nordeen cross-country ski race links the past to the present – December 15, 2007
- Crater Lake Chief Ranger to Retire: Dave Brennan has been on the job for 7 1/2 years – December 3, 2007
- Into the Deep: Crater Lake’s ranking as one of the world’s deepest lakes varies by how list is determined – November 29, 2007
- Where to go for Thanksgiving snow: Mount Hood, Crater Lake offer best bets – November 21, 2007
- Lundy happy with progress at Crater Lake park – November 12, 2007
- Plotting a new course: Crater Lake superintendent Chuck Lundy to retire next year – November 12, 2007
- A bit of history – November 12, 2007
- Delegation Supporting Visitor Center at Crater Lake – November 11, 2007
- Walden, DeFazio Voice Support – November 11, 2007
- Crater Rim Drive closes Friday evening – November 7, 2007
- Follow-up on 2005 Ranger-Involved Shooting – November 5, 2007
- Source of the Rogue – November 01, 2007
- Unanimous Oregon Delegation Requests $2.5 Million for Crater Lake Visitor Center – October 31, 2007
- Crater Lake Seeks Volunteers – October 27, 2007
- Crater Lake Ski Patrol looking for members – October 18, 2007
- Crater Lake offers a compelling glimpse of the changing seasons – October 04, 2007
- Survival of the fittest for our man in Patagonia – September 30, 2007
- Crater Lake deep yields mysterious moss – September 15, 2007
- Cycle Oregon: This year’s tour includes Diamond, Crater Lakes – September 12, 2007
- Bicyclers pedal and party their way through state – September 10, 2007
- Fairview woman dies in Jeep accident near Crater Lake – September 03, 2007
- Remains of Long Missing Body at Crater Lake – August 29, 2007
- Free Admission Saturday – August 24, 2007
- Crater Lake Rim Runs Recap – August 13, 2007
- Runs Bring Out Veterans – August 13, 2007
- Runners Chase Personal Bests, Shed Baggage – August 12, 2007
- Pine Beetles Infest Crater Lake Rim – August 11, 2007
- See Crater Lake Panorama From Atop Garfield Peak – August 10, 2007
- Little-visited Sphagnum Bog a hotbed for botanists – August 6, 2007
- Crater Lake’s Mystery Moss – August 01, 2007
- Travelers Find Solace in Sights, Scenery – July 29, 2007
- Since You Asked: Espey Had Quite a Life – July 28, 2007
- Thinning to Cause Delays – July 19, 2007
- He made movies in Brooklyn, over 100 years ago – July 5, 2007
- Blue-green algae detected in Lemolo Lake – June 26, 2007
- Annie Springs Campground – June 17, 2007
- Cycle Oregon 2007: The Week Ride – Jun 3, 2007
- Crater Lake northern entrance opens today – May 24, 2007
- Mountain Climber Brian Smith – May 24, 2007
- Shadow Everest: Brian Smith – April 27, 2007
- Unraveling the secret of Crater Lake’s … Deep Moss – April 2, 2007
- National Park Service Listening Session: Gatlinburg, Tennessee – March 14, 2007
- National parks budget mostly a shell game – March 2, 2007
- Rainier third most dangerous U.S. volcano, USGS says – February 28, 2007
- New ‘America the Beautiful’ pass stirs controversy – February 23rd, 2007
- Post-Kim task force helps in finding man – February 21, 2007
- Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Oregon Experience Profiles William Steel, the “Father of Crater Lake” – February 13, 2007
- Task force formed to improve search efforts – February 11, 2007
- DeFazio wants Interior to rethink Crater Lake fee hike – January 3, 2007
- Keep parks affordable – January 3, 2007
- DeFazio Urges Interior Secretary to Reconsider Hike in Park Fees – January 2, 2007
- DeFazio against parks fee increase – January 2, 2007