Posted on 02/29/2024 5:26:53 PM PST by george76
The most powerful Pacific storm of the season started barreling into the Sierra Nevada on Thursday, packing multiple feet of snow and dangerous winds that forecasters say will create blizzard conditions likely to close major highways and trigger power outages into the weekend.
Much of the Sierra Nevada was under a blizzard warning stretching through Sunday, with the biggest effects expected Friday afternoon into Saturday.
As much as 10 feet (3 meters) of snow is possible in the mountains around Lake Tahoe by the weekend, with 3 to 6 feet (.9 to 1.8 meters) in the communities on the lake’s shores and more than a foot (30 centimeters) possible in the valleys on the Sierra’s eastern front, including Reno, the National Weather Service said.
Winds are expected to gust in excess of 115 mph (185 kph) over Sierra ridgetops, and 70 mph (113 kph) at lower elevations, it said.
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The California Highway Patrol imposed travel restrictions on a long stretch of Interstate 80 between Reno and Sacramento, requiring drivers to put chains on their tires. A stretch of the highway was closed for hours at midday Thursday while crews cleared the wreckage of a semi-trailer truck that overturned near Truckee, California.
“Your safe travel window is over in the Sierra,” the weather service in Reno posted on social media. “Best to hunker down where you are.”
The blizzard warning covers a 300-mile (482-kilometer) stretch of the Sierra from north of Lake Tahoe to south of Yosemite National Park effective until 10 a.m. Sunday.
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they could break their modern-day record of about 3.5 feet (1 meter) of snow in a single day from back in 1989.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
Sierra Cement?
Hard and lots of rain today, west of the Sierras for most of the afternoon.
We get these every few years and they amaze.
Is it headed south? Live east of Los Angeles.......looking cloudy here.
Gnarly winds in Reno, no precipitation yet.
Looks like my favorite ski area will get about 25” or so. Another great year for the powder hounds at Alta.
I grew up on the western slope. Our complaint, as kids, was that we rarely got any measurable snow. The big storms always came from the east and dumped their snow over the eastern slope and crest of the Sierras before getting to us. We got only leftovers, usually in the form of rain.
Flooding is possible. They’ve been dumping water out of the reservoirs to maintain flood control capability. All major north state reservoirs remain well above seasonal average for this date. Much of the vast Central Valley is less than 25 feet above sea level, flat as a pancake, and prone to flooding
https://cdec.water.ca.gov/reportapp/javareports?name=rescond.pdf
North of the bay area, the upper part of the storm is basically from the west and due east.
Your area will probably be different!
CALIFORNIA MAJOR WATER SUPPLY RESERVOIRS
CURRENT CONDITIONS:
https://cdec.water.ca.gov/reportapp/javareports?name=rescond.pdf
This is more proof Global Warming is a fraud. If this is the hottest year in record how can you have storms like these off the biggest ocean on the planet?
Yes, they amazed the Donner Party quite a bit.
King Snow is back on his throne.
This is good! We’ll have a lot of water in the spring, which will help alleviate the drought this part of the country has been experiencing.
Been windy in the Bakersfield area all day here cold wind too
I only skied Lake Tahoe area once.
No kidding about Sierra Cement.
When I was young, a season pass at Heavenly Valley was $50 if you were on ski team.
This Saturday a one day lift pass is $239 (or $159 if you’re a kid) to ski on that Sierra cement ….
The first few days after a storm are usually nice and much of the time sunny.
https://www.accuweather.com/en/wint...a-nevada-with-over-100-inches-of-snow/1626644
The storm will create potentially deadly travel conditions along two major arteries in California.
“Donner Pass, California, along Interstate 80 and segments of I-5 in Northern California to Siskiyou Summit in southern Oregon are likely to close,” Rayno added.
There is a high risk of motorists becoming stranded due to the incredible snowfall rates and the likelihood that road crews will be unable to keep up with the storm until it concludes late this weekend. This includes roads to and from the ski resorts in the region. Conditions may be life-threatening for those who become stuck outdoors in the storm.
The combination of heavy snow and high winds is likely to lead to power outages that could take many days, if not weeks, to resolve in isolated areas. Those in backwood locations will need a safe means of heat and plenty of food. Experts warn that chimneys and exhaust from furnaces will need to be kept open to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.
Amtrak: In 2024, We’re not even gonna try running trains over the Sierras with blizzard and snowfall totals.... Remembering 1952 !!!
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