Flight Training
Over the next several days you may hear some thunder in the skies, but not from a weather system. The Oregon Air National Guard will be conducting some night flying training in order to fulfill some of their training requirements. The training will begin this evening and continue through Friday of this week and resume again on Tuesday February 7th. The mandatory exercises will conclude on Thursday February 9th. Flights will finish by 10 pm each evening.
Flu and COVID-19
Seasonal influenza numbers continue to decline. The percentage of positive tests has dropped below two percent at 1.8. the number of cases reported by the Oregon Health Authority this past week is now closely mirroring the numbers reported during the extreme lows in 2021/2022. Generally positive test numbers are relatively high this time of year with numbers in the 10 to 30 percentile. The OHA is also reporting that ED visits and hospitalizations have also sharply declined. COVID-19 numbers continue to be steady though with more than 2000 cases reported last week. Lane County accounts for more than 10% of the known cases. 2229 is the latest all-time total for the 97439 zip code. That number is 187 more than the last report released in October of 2022.
Transportation System Plan Update Open House
The City of Florence will be conducting another Open House regarding the Transportation System Plan Update. The event will be at the Florence Events Center Wednesday at 5:45 February 8th . Doors will open for the event at 5:30. The purpose is to gather input from the community on the direction it will take over the next 20 years. The City is looking at what future traffic conditions might be based on population and employment and would like to get feedback as it lays out the challenges and opportunities facing Florence.
Cold Temps
Cold temperatures hit the area and will continue to drop below freezing through this evening. There is a potential for frozen water pipes as temps overnight dropped to the mid-twenties for most of the Florence and Mapleton area. Mapleton recorded 22 for an overnight low with Florence hitting 27. Temperatures will be in the mid to upper 40’s today with overnight lows around 30.