NOAA: Up To 8-12″ of SNOW Forecast for California This Weekend | Snow Levels 6,000′

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Snow forecast map for California this weekend. Snow levels down to 6,000-feet. image: noaa, today
Snow forecast map for California this weekend. Snow levels down to 6,000-feet. image: noaa, today

NOAA is calling for widespread snow in California this weekend with snow levels down to 6,000-feet. ย Mt. Lassen has 8-12″ of snow forecast. ย Not a bad storm for late May!

As of right now, all mountain passes in California are open, but some may temporarily close due to this storm. ย Usually, it’s the highest passes that close so keep an eye on: ย 9,943′ Tioga Pass and 9,624′ Sonora Pass.

“Cooling Thursday into the weekend with showers and/or afternoon thunderstorms. Snow levels ~6000 feet Friday into the weekend may cause minor travel delays near pass levels with windy conditions over higher Sierra and limited snow accumulation.” – NOAA, Sacramento, CA today

California snowpack from space yesterday. image: nasa
California snowpack from space yesterday. image: nasa

If you do head out into the backcountry this weekend, please be very careful. ย New snow will become wet very quickly with this high sun angle creating unstable slopes and the possibility of wet avalanches.

Squaw Valley and Mammoth Mountain ski resorts are currently open daily.

Steep skiing off Carson Pass, CA on Monday. photo: miles clark/snowbrains
Steep skiing off Carson Pass, CA on Monday. photo: miles clark/snowbrains

Shasta, Lassen, Tioga Pass, Sonora Pass, Carson Pass, Ebbetts Pass are all skiing well right now.

Check out the aboveย image taken from space yesterday. ย California is still holding onto a decent amount of snow, despite being considerably below average for this time of year. ย Statewide snowpack is only at 30% of average for today’s date.

Statewide snowpack at 30% of average to date. image: cdws, today
Statewide snowpack at 30% of average to date. image: cdws, today

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