The Sierra Nevada mountains are getting blasted with another round of snow today. NOAA has upgraded the Winter Weather Advisory for California to a Winter Storm Warning on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains. By 10pm tonight, the Sierra crest around Tahoe could see up to 16″ with the Lake Tahoe Basin seeing as much as a foot.
WINTER STORM WARNING for CALIFORNIA TODAY:
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
…SNOW EXPECTED OVER THE SIERRA NEVADA AND SOUTHERN CASCADES TODAY AND TONIGHT…
A WEATHER SYSTEM FROM THE GULF OF ALASKA WILL BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF SNOW INTO THE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA AND SOUTHERN CASCADE MOUNTAIN RANGES TODAY. SNOW WILL BEGIN THIS MORNING AROUND 5000 FEET…THEN LOWER TO BETWEEN 4000 AND 5000 FEET THROUGH THE DAY. HAZARDOUS MOUNTAIN TRAVEL IS EXPECTED WITH TRAVEL DELAYS AND CHAIN CONTROLS LIKELY.
…WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING…
* TIMING…SNOW BEGINNING THIS MORNING AND CONTINUING INTO THE NIGHT. HEAVIEST EXPECTED LATE MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON.
* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS…4 TO 8 INCHES ABOVE 5000 FEET WITH 8 TO 12 INCHES AND LOCALLY 16 INCHES AT THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS.
* SNOW LEVELS…STARTING AROUND 5000 FEET…LOWERING TO 4000 TO 5000 FEET.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY for CALIFORNIA:
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
* TIMING: SNOW WILL INCREASE BY LATE MORNING AND BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: 6 TO 12 INCHES ABOVE 7000 FEET…WITH 10 TO 14 INCHES POSSIBLE ALONG THE SIERRA CREST. BELOW 7000 FEET…3 TO 6 INCHES WITH 4 TO 8 INCHES POSSIBLE ALONG AND WEST OF HIGHWAY 89.
* WINDS: SOUTHWEST 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH. SIERRA RIDGE GUSTS UP TO 95 MPH.
* IMPACTS: TRAVEL DELAYS DUE TO LOW VISIBILITY AND SNOW COVERED ROADS FOR DONNER SUMMIT…ECHO SUMMIT…CARSON PASS…SPOONER SUMMIT AND DAGGET PASS. SLICK ROADS AROUND THE TAHOE BASIN INCLUDING HIGHWAYS 28…89 AND 50.