Extraordinary storm could bring 10 feet of snow to California Sierra
By Amy Graff
An extraordinary winter storm is poised to sweep California’s Sierra Nevada from Thursday through Sunday. Meteorologists are predicting it will bring the heaviest snowfall so far this season, with up to 10 feet of snow possible at the highest elevations, according to the National Weather Service.
Snowfall rates could reach up to 1 to 3 inches of snow per hour, bringing whiteout conditions with zero visibility across the Sierra.
“Snow amounts will be so much and difficult to accurately measure due to strong winds producing prolonged periods of near zero visibility, and blowing/drifting snow capable of burying vehicles and making it difficult to locate roads,” the weather service’s Reno office, which provides the forecast for the Lake Tahoe Basin, wrote in its forecast. “Even walking outside would not be advised during this storm as a person could quickly become lost or disoriented.”
The message meteorologists are trying to get out: Stay home.
Rich Bann, a forecaster with the weather service’s Weather Prediction Center, said the storm will dump snow across Washington and Oregon on Wednesday and Thursday before pushing into California on Thursday. He suspects the heaviest snowfall across the southern Cascades and the Sierra Nevada will occur on Friday into Saturday.
“There will also be a lot of strong winds and that will cause a lot of drifting of snow, making travel difficult to impossible in the mountains,” Bann said. “It goes without saying as the storm continues inland, much colder air will sweep in by the weekend with temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below normal.”
Truckee, a Sierra town that’s a popular spot for skiers to stay overnight, is expected to see a low of 18 degrees on Friday night and 11 degrees on Saturday night.
“A big deal” is what UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain called the storm on social media. Swain, who has become a spokesperson for California weather through his Weather West blog, said the storm will bring snow whiplash, as the Sierra has seen a generally slow snow season. Fall was abnormally dry and winter has seen several warmer storms that brought more rain than snow. This storm is expected to bolster the snowpack.
The weather service’s Sacramento office, which provides the forecast for people driving highways 50 and 80 between Tahoe and the Central Valley, sounded the alarm bells on Tuesday, warning people to stay home this weekend.
“A MAJOR winter storm will bring EXTREMELY HEAVY mountain snow Thursday-Weekend,” the weather service posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Multiple FEET of snow are forecast with whiteout conditions and road closures likely. Heaviest snow above 3000 ft.”
Snowfall levels could reach as low as 2,000 feet by the weekend, warned the Sacramento office, which covers the southern Cascades and western side of the Northern Sierra, including the highly traveled Donner and Echo passes. Elevations above 5,000 feet could see 5 to 10 feet of snow Thursday into Sunday.
The office said Friday will be the worst day for travel in its forecast region.
The Tahoe Basin could see 3 to 4 feet in South Lake and Truckee, as well as 5 to 8 feet for elevations above 7,000 feet, according to the weather service’s Reno office.
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