December 22, 2021 4:00 a.m.

A Winter Weather Advisory for mountain areas in much of southern Oregon begins at 4:00 p.m. Wednesday.

Forecasters at the National Weather Service said new snow accumulations of 7 to 16 inches are expected. Wind gusts from the southwest at 25 to 45 miles per hour are possible at times, leading to blowing and drifting snow, mainly in exposed areas.

The Advisory is for the south central and southern Oregon Cascades and Siskiyou Mountains, including Crater Lake and Diamond Lake. Portions of highways 138, 62 and 230 are also part of the Advisory, which will be in place until 4:00 a.m. Friday.

New snow accumulations at the Siskiyou Summit on Interstate 5 are expected to be generally less than 3 inches during this time period. Additional snowfall with lower snow levels are likely between Christmas Eve and the 30th of December.

Forecasters said travel is likely to be significantly affected by winter weather at times, starting on Friday.

Stay with News Radio 1240 KQEN and check www.541radio.com for updates on the winter weather situation.