National Weather Service map as of 8 p.m. Tuesday.

As the cold, wet storm arrived Tuesday, local authorities issued a weather warning from the National Weather Service via the NIXLE alert system to every landline phone in the county. The warning was also sent to those who had  signed up to get the alerts on their cell phones.

Both Port Orford School District and Southwestern Oregon Community College cancelled classes for today because of the storm warnings.

By 8 a.m. Tuesday, the storm had dropped 1.8 inches of rain at the Pilot's downtown weather station, which recorded a peak wind gust of 38 mph. The official storm warning runs through 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The alert message stated, in part: “A wet storm with high wind gusts of up to 85 mph will begin moving onshore tonight. Heavy rain will cause rivers and creeks to swell and could result in flooding ... Ocean waves will peak up to 35 feet. Beaches should be avoided ... those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop ...”

Medford-based NWS Meteorologist Megan Woodhead said, “We’re looking at a pretty significant storm through Thursday and into the next week.”

Gusts are expected to be 50 to 60 miles per hour in Brookings and 70 mph or more on headlands through Wednesday when the peak winds occur, she said.

Rainfall could be 4 to 8 inches today and through Thursday, prompting a flash flood watch in western Curry and Coos counties, Woodhead said. “The rivers will get pretty high and swift.”

The highest rainfall is expected to be in the hills just east of Brookings.

Meanwhile, ocean conditions will include what Woodhead called “winds with hurricane-force gusts” today with breaker heights of 30 to 35 feet, she said.

A dusting of snow along the South Coast on Sunday night and Monday morning signaled that the long period of unseasonably dry weather had come to a stop.

The snow caused only minor fender-bender vehicle accidents in Brookings, police said. But the Curry County Sheriff’s Office reported eight separate traffic accidents Monday from 7:25 a.m. to 12:47 p.m.

That included one crash involving a rollover, although Sheriff John Bishop said no one was seriously hurt in any of the mishaps.

Five crashed occurred on Highway 101 with most of those in the north county area. One each happened on Jerry’s Flat Road, 80 Acres Road and Cape Ferrelo Road, the sheriff said in a news release.

Bishop urged motorists to be extra careful when icy conditions are expected. The road can be clear in one stretch while another is covered with ice, he said, due to isolated hail or the sun melting only some areas.

Isolated patches of ice caused Monday’s crashes, he said.