The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory starting at 4 p.m. today through 7 a.m. Wednesday, with gusts of up to 50 mph.

The storm is the product of a cyclone in the northeast Pacific Ocean that is expected to flow an atmospheric river from Northern California over western Oregon starting tonight and lasting through Friday.

Rain could be heavy at times, with scattered thunderstorms. Some days may bring a half an inch of precipitation or more.

But first, the storm tonight. The wind advisory is in effect from Roseburg to Ashland and east into the foothills of the Cascades. It includes Grants Pass, Medford and as far east as Butte Falls.

The weather service is forecasting winds from the southeast of 25-35 mph with gusts of up to 50 mph.

All areas west of the Cascades will be affected, the weather service warned, “especially all higher terrain and wind-aligned valleys such as the Rogue Valley from Ashland to Medford.”

Power outages are a strong possibility. Vehicles with high profiles, such as semi-trucks and motor homes, are at risk of tipping over.

It is expected to be particularly windy on the coast, with gusts of up to 70 mph possible from Eureka and Crescent City in Northern California to Brookings, Gold Beach and Bandon on the South Oregon Coast.

The most dangerous part of the storm is expected to die down by 7 a.m. Wednesday, but it will stay breezy and rainy for much of the day, the weather service said.

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Reach city editor Chris Bristol at 541-474-3716 or cbristol@thedailycourier.com.