The major interstate in the Sierra Nevada was closed as a dangerous storm bore down
Predictions for the Sierra Nevada Snowpack and the Sunshine State Rainfall before the Supersnowfall and Floating on the Ski Resort Trails
Todd Cummings decided to drive from Santa Cruz to the Lake Tahoe area ahead of the storm with plans to lay low during the blizzard and then hit the slopes.
“Our water supply outlook for the upcoming year is going to be dependent on how critical this upcoming month is in terms of our water supply outlook,” hydrometeorologist Angelique Fabbiani-Leon told the group atPhillips Station.
Richard Cunningham said he has heard before about forecasts for the storm of the century that didn’t materialize since he moved from Las Vegas to Reno in 1997.
Howie Nave, a radio DJ and stand-up comedian in South Lake Tahoe, said some people may not have been taking the storm seriously earlier in the week because dire forecasts of potentially heavy storms have not materialized several times this winter.
The Sierra Nevada snowpack stood at 80% of average to date but only 70% of the typical April 1 peak, California Department of Water resources officials said Thursday.
On the bright side, California water officials said the storm should provide a much-needed shot in the arm to the Sierra snowpack, which is vital to the state’s water supplies and sits well below normal so far this season.
The big dump expected over the weekend will allow the ski resort to keep the slopes open, according to a statement on the resort’s website. The weather is likely to affect temporary closures off and on through the weekend.
When a storm comes, people have a tough time getting to the mountains, so it’s not always packed and there is untracked snow. and you float on it. It’s great! He said yes.
Snowfall on Thursday night: The potential for a real storm in the Sierra Nevada, as predicted by UC-Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab
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.
Andrew Schwartz, the lead scientist at UC-Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab, said it is possible they could break their modern-day record of about 3.5 feet (1 meter) of snow in a single day from back in 1989. The lab was founded on top of the Sierra in 1945 in Soda Springs, California.
“This will be a real storm,” aUCLA climate scientist said during an online briefing Thursday. The potential for power outages and the fact that roads likely aren’t going to be clear as quickly as they normally are are all part of a true winter storm like this one.
“Your safe travel window is over in the Sierra,” the National Weather Service in Reno posted Thursday morning on social media. “We recommend hunkering down where you are.”
The mountains around Lake Tahoe could get 10 feet of snow by the weekend, with 3 to 6 feet in the communities on the lake’s shores and more than a foot in the valleys.
A dangerous blizzard expected to bring up to 10 feet of snow to parts of the Sierra Nevada has forced the closure of Yosemite National Park, at least nine Lake Tahoe ski resorts and a major interstate and disrupted power to thousands.
The storm system, which began to pummel the region on Thursday, brought wind gusts of up to 150 mph at the highest peaks of the Sierra. The NWS issued a high-wind warning for West Central Nevada, with gusty winds of up to 75 mph through 7 a.m. on Saturday.
The forecast office in Reno warned people against traveling to the Central Sierra slopes on Sunday.
The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for the Sierra Nevada in Northern California. The storm system is expected to bring 10 feet of snow to parts of the Sierra Nevada and winds will reach up to 150 mph. Further, a winter storm warning has also been issued for most of Northern California on Friday and Saturday.