Weather
NOAA has issued a Winter Storm Warning for nearly all the Sierra Nevada, CA today. NOAA is calling this storm a “vigorous winter storm.”
- 12-20″ of snowfall are forecast
- Snowfall rates up to 2″ per hour are forecast
- Winds have been gusting over 100mph on ridge tops today
- Snow levels will start around 6,500-feet before dropping to 3,500-feet tomorrow am
* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...1 TO 2 FEET POSSIBLE ABOVE 6000 FEET WITH UP TO 10 INCHES ABOVE 5000 FEET TAPERING TO A COUPLE INCHES DOWN TO 3500 FEET. * SNOW LEVELS...INITIALLY ABOVE 6500 FEET THIS AFTERNOON... LOWERING TO AROUND 3500 TO 4000 FEET THURSDAY MORNING. - NOAA Sacramento, CA today
Squaw and Mt. Rose have already seen wind gusts of 108mph and 102 mph today, respectively.
A vigorous winter storm will move through the Sierra and western Nevada late tonight and early Thursday. Snow levels will fall late tonight, reaching the lowest valley floors of far western Nevada before daybreak Thursday. While the heaviest accumulations will occur along and west of Highway 89 in the Tahoe basin and west of Highway 395 in Mono County, even light accumulations are possible down to the valley floors of western Nevada.” – NOAA Reno, NV today
“The heaviest snow (rates up to 2″ per hour) will likely be after 7:00pm at the pass levels.” – NOAA Sacramento, CA today
After this storm blows through, we may end up with a 10-day dry spell… Get out there and get after it while you can!
“It looks like a 10 day dry spell may begin on Friday.” – Brian Allegretto, Opensnow.com
WINTER STORM WARNING for CALIFORNIA:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
357 AM PST WED FEB 17 2016
...HEAVY MOUNTAIN SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS THIS AFTERNOON INTO
THURSDAY...
.LIGHT SNOW WILL BEGIN IN THE HIGH PEAKS OF THE SOUTHERN CASCADES
THIS MORNING WITH HEAVIER SNOW SPREADING INTO THE SOUTHERN
CASCADES AND NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA BY THIS AFTERNOON. PERIODS OF
HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS AND LIKELY BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON...PEAKING
LATE LATE THIS EVENING INTO THURSDAY MORNING. SNOW LEVELS WILL
INITIALLY BE ABOVE 6500 FEET THIS AFTERNOON BUT WILL LOWER TO
AROUND 3500 TO 4000 FEET THURSDAY MORNING. UP TO 2 FEET OF SNOW IS
POSSIBLE OVER THE HIGHEST PEAKS. THE COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS
AND SNOW WILL MAKE FOR VERY HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS OVER THE
PASSES. SNOW WILL TAPER OFF BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON INTO EVENING.
CAZ069-180030-
/O.CON.KSTO.WS.W.0008.160218T0000Z-160219T0000Z/
WEST SLOPE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA-
INCLUDING THE CITY OF...BLUE CANYON
357 AM PST WED FEB 17 2016
...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS
AFTERNOON TO 4 PM PST THURSDAY...
* MAIN IMPACT: PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS. EXPECT
HAZARDOUS TRAVEL... CHAIN REQUIREMENTS... AND POSSIBLE DELAYS.
* CONFIDENCE...HIGH
* TIMING...LIGHT SNOW BEGINS AROUND EARLY AFTERNOON TODAY...
BECOMING MODERATE TO HEAVY THIS EVENING AND CONTINUING INTO
THURSDAY MORNING.
* LOCATIONS...INTERSTATE 80...HIGHWAYS 50... 88... 89... AND 4.
* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...1 TO 2 FEET POSSIBLE ABOVE 6000 FEET WITH
UP TO 10 INCHES ABOVE 5000 FEET TAPERING TO A COUPLE INCHES
DOWN TO 3500 FEET.
* SNOW LEVELS...INITIALLY ABOVE 6500 FEET THIS AFTERNOON...
LOWERING TO AROUND 3500 TO 4000 FEET THURSDAY MORNING.
* WINDS...GUSTY SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WIND UP TO 55 MPH OVER HIGHER
TERRAIN AT TIMES THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
