A powerful snowstorm will hit California on Thursday and residents are warned to prepare for 12 feet of snow and 120 mile per hour winds.
The storm heading toward the west coast will bring rain to low elevation areas and cover the northwest and northern Rocky Mountains with blankets of snow.
More severe impacts will be seen in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, which will face blizzard conditions.
The approaching snowstorm will be the strongest of its kind since this time last year, when a series of storms hit the Sierra in late February and early March.
Areas of the northern and central Sierra have received blizzard warnings from Thursday morning through Sunday morning, according to the weather channel.
A powerful snowstorm will hit California on Thursday and residents are warned to prepare for 12 feet of snow and 120 mile per hour winds.
The storm heading toward the west coast will bring rain to low elevation areas and cover the northwest and northern Rocky Mountains with blankets of snow.
“A LARGE winter storm will bring EXTREMELY HEAVY mountain snow Thursday and into the weekend,” the National Weather Service in Sacramento warned in a post on X.
‘Several FEET of snow is forecast with blackout conditions and likely road closures. Heaviest snow above 3000 feet. Take advantage of the dry conditions today and tomorrow to prepare!’
“Even by Sierra standards, this is shaping up to be a significant, high-impact winter storm,” the National Weather Service office in Reno said.
‘Yeah “If snow totals hold, this will easily be the biggest storm of the season.”
There is a chance of one to three feet of snow falling in communities along Highway 395 in Mono County.
Mammoth Lakes and June Lakes could see nearly four feet of snow, and places like South Lake Tahoe Incline Village and Tahoe City are likely to see at least three feet.
Meanwhile, winds in the West Coast Range “could easily exceed 120 mph” and “could lead to blizzard conditions with near-zero visibility at times.”
As expected, Los Angeles County will not see any snow, but there is a small chance of showers on Friday and rain is more likely on Saturday and Sunday.
The peak of the storm will wreak havoc on the region on Friday, with high winds and heavy snowfall in the Sierra and Siskiyou.
On Saturday, moderate to heavy snow and strong winds are expected to continue to hit the area, while incoming colder air could cause accumulations to fall as high as 1,000 feet, according to the report. weather channel predicts.
More severe impacts will be seen in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, which will face blizzard conditions.
The approaching snowstorm will be the strongest of its kind since last year, when a series of storms hit the Sierra in late February and early March.
Extreme conditions will ease on Sunday, but snow showers up to 1,000 feet high are possible in the morning.
Earlier this year, parts of Nevada and Southern California were hit by a blizzard that brought eight inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.
Despite January snowfall and approaching storms, California has received less snow than usual this winter, which is affecting the Sierra Nevada in Northern California.
Limited winter weather could spell trouble for a state that relies on melted snowpack for a significant portion of its water supply.
The California Department of Water Resources reported Tuesday that the entire Golden State has an average snowpack of about 25 percent of its annual average.
As expected, Los Angeles County will not see snow, but there is a small chance of rain on Friday and rain is more likely on Saturday and Sunday.
Winds in the West Coast Range “could easily exceed 120 mph” and “could lead to blizzard conditions with near-zero visibility at times.”
However, despite the potentially alarming lack of snow in some parts of California, state officials have also told Californians to prepare for possible “climate whiplash,” a phenomenon that includes potentially dangerous flooding after months of drought. .
Last winter, California experienced record amounts of snow, enough to lift large swaths of the state out of what had been a long drought. He The state’s snowpack catapulted to 237 percent more than the annual average.
Last year’s storms left more than 100,000 homes without power, while record cold temperatures prompted the National Weather Service to issue frost warnings in the San Francisco Bay area and elsewhere.