“Moist” Pacific Storm for California Today- Saturday | 1-3 Feet of Snow Forecast

WeatherBrains | | Post Tag for WeatherWeather
image: noaa, today
image: noaa, today

NOAA has issued Winter Storm Warnings & Watches across a broad swath of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountains of California for tomorrow and Saturday that is forecast to drop 1-3 feet of snow.

Snow levels look good enough with this storm.  6,000-feet snow levels will drop to 4,000-feet.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...1 TO 2 FEET ABOVE 5500 FEET. UP TO 3 FEET
  OVER HIGHER PEAKS. UP TO 1 FOOT OF SNOW DOWN TO 5000 FEET ON
  SATURDAY. - NOAA Sacramento, CA today
PINK = Winter Storm Warning.  BLUE = Winter Storm Watch.  image:  noaa, today
PINK = Winter Storm Warning. BLUE = Winter Storm Watch. image: noaa, today

NOAA is forecasting this storm to hit California in two waves:

A MOIST PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL CONSIST OF A
COUPLE OF WAVES OF MOISTURE. THE FIRST WAVE WILL MOVE INTO
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA LATE TONIGHT BRINGING HIGHER ELEVATION
SNOWFALL TO THE SIERRA ON FRIDAY. SNOW LEVELS WITH THIS FIRST WAVE
WILL BE GENERALLY ABOVE 6000 FEET. THE SECOND WAVE IS FORECAST TO
MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ON SATURDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL
BRING EVEN MORE SNOWFALL TO THE SIERRA WITH LOWER SNOW LEVELS
WITH SNOWFALL DOWN TO AS LOW AS 4000 FEET.  - NOAA Sacramento, CA today
Southern Sierra forecast. image: noaa, today
Southern Sierra forecast. image: noaa, today

***

California snowpack is above average to date in the north and central Sierra Nevada.

Tahoe has been doing great this year.  Sugar Bowl has received over 300″ of snowfall this year already!

***

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WINTER STORM WATCH for CALIFORNIA:

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
1142 AM PST THU JAN 21 2016

...WINTER STORM TO BRING SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL TO THE SIERRA
NEVADA FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON...

A WINTER STORM WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TONIGHT
THROUGH SATURDAY. SNOW LEVELS WILL START ABOVE 6000 FEET LATE
TONIGHT AND FRIDAY BEFORE DROPPING TO AROUND 5000 FEET ON
SATURDAY. HEAVY SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DELAYS AND
CHAIN CONTROLS FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. BE PREPARED FOR WINTER
DRIVING CONDITIONS AND CARRY CHAINS.

WESTERN PLUMAS COUNTY/LASSEN PARK-
WEST SLOPE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CHESTER...QUINCY...BLUE CANYON

...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM FRIDAY TO 4 PM PST
SATURDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SACRAMENTO HAS ISSUED A WINTER
STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS...WHICH IS IN EFFECT
FROM 4 AM FRIDAY TO 4 PM PST SATURDAY FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 5000
FEET. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* IMPACTS...TRAVEL DELAYS AND CHAIN CONTROLS. GUSTY WINDS MAY
  BRING WHITEOUT CONDITIONS AND LOCALIZED POWER OUTAGES AT TIMES.

* TIMING...BEGINNING EARLY FRIDAY MORNING...HEAVIEST SATURDAY
  MORNING THEN SHOWERS DIMINISHING BY SATURDAY EVENING.

* LOCATIONS...INTERSTATE 80 OVER DONNER PASS... HIGHWAY 50 OVER
  ECHO SUMMIT AND HIGHWAY 88 OVER CARSON PASS.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...1 TO 2 FEET ABOVE 5000 FEET. UP TO 3 FEET
  OVER HIGHER PEAKS.

Visible satellite image showing storm hitting CA today.
Visible satellite image showing storm hitting CA today.
 

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