A major winter storm, which is “impressive even by Sierra standards,” according to the NWS, is closing in on the West Coast. The storm, backed by an atmospheric river, is on track to become potentially the season’s biggest snowstorm, dropping up to 12 feet of snow with winds screaming over 100 mph at mountain peaks.
“We’re getting to the point where snowfall amount probabilities in the Sierra/northeast CA won’t even matter,” warned the NWS Reno office in the forecast discussion.
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“Snow amounts will be so much and difficult to accurately measure due to strong winds producing prolonged periods of near zero visibility, and blowing/drifting snow capable of burying vehicles and making it difficult to locate roads,” the discussion continued. “Even walking outside would not be advised during this storm as a person could quickly become lost or disoriented.”
The Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes forecast calls for an atmospheric river to make landfall over the Pacific Northwest late Tuesday. A supercharged pulse of the atmospheric river could increase the intensity of the snow and rainfall through northern and central California.
“Storms of this magnitude are rare and capable of closing major roads and damaging power infrastructure for extended periods of time” states the NWS Winter Storm Watch. “Make sure you have food, water, and a secondary heat source for more than several days in your home in case of extended power outages. If you must travel, do it before the storm arrives as travel may be impossible once the storm arrives.”
The storm behind the atmospheric river will extend the snow through Sunday in California.
Washington and Oregon start to see the snow and rain move inland Tuesday night, along with a brief blast of warmer air keeping the snow levels around 2,000 to 3,000 feet. The storm stalls on Wednesday and dumps heavy rain on lower elevations and heavy snow down to pass levels.
Winds gusting up to 40 to 55 mph on Wednesday will keep mountain passes in near whiteout conditions.
A cold front brings a shot of frigid air, dropping the snow level and bringing flurries to Seattle and Portland from Thursday morning into the weekend. The Olympics and Cascades could see 2 to 4 feet of snow by the end of Thursday while the lowlands could see 1 to 3 inches of rain.
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The NWS issued a Winter Storm Warning for the mountains of foothills above 1,500 feet through Thursday night into Friday morning.
An unsettled weather pattern continues to keep the corner of the country cool through the weekend. Look for snow showers without much accumulation in the mountains. Portland and Seattle will continue to see a mix of wet snow and rain.
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Winds, rain and snow pickup across Northern California late Wednesday into Thursday.
“The time is NOW to prepare for this *significantly* impactful winter storm,” warned the NWS Sacramento office.
On Thursday morning, mountain areas above 5,000 feet could see snowfall rates of 1 to 3 inches of snow per hour. According to the NWS, wind could gust over 60 mph, creating white-out/blizzard conditions for the foothills. Ridges could see gusts up to 125 mph, equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane.
The reinforcing shot of cold air brings another blast of snow, this time in the 2 to 3+ inch per hour rate on Friday. Snow levels will drop to 1,500 to 3,000 feet by Saturday morning. The NWS isn’t ruling out the chance of a thunderstorm through Saturday.
As a cold front passes, snow levels could drop below 1,000 feet into Sunday in the Sacramento Valley. Above 5,000 feet, mountains could see 5 to 12 feet of snow.
The highest elevations of coastal ranges in the San Francisco Bay Area could see a dusting of snow. Otherwise, lower elevations could see up to 2 inches of rain.
The Los Angeles area will see periods of moderate to locally heavy rain from Friday to Sunday.