Sierra Nevada buried by up to 11 feet of snow, and more is coming
A crippling blizzard has dumped as much as 6 to 11 feet of snow on California’s Sierra Nevada since Thursday, closing roads and ski resorts as it produced whiteout conditions and hurricane-force winds. The snow had eased across the region early Monday, but forecasters said more is to come through Tuesday afternoon, and winter storm warnings are in effect.
Through early Monday, several locations in the Sierras had reported at least 8 feet of snow, including 126 inches at Sugar Bowl, 116 inches at Soda Springs and 96 inches at Palisades Tahoe. More than 130 inches may have fallen along isolated ridgetops west of Lake Tahoe, according to an analysis from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The storm catapulted seasonal snow totals from below normal to above normal. The University of California at Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab, at Donner Pass, reported just over 6 feet of snow, bumping the season-to-date total from one of the 10-lowest on record to well above average. Snowfall at the Sugar Bowl, Boreal Mountain and Palisades Tahoe ski areas – now exceeding 300 inches – also climbed above average for the season.
Snowfall rates of 2 to 4 inches per hour and hurricane-force winds created dangerous travel conditions over the weekend, leading to road closures. The closure of a 71-mile stretch of Interstate 80 extended into its third day Monday before the highway reopened late in the morning. U.S. Route 50 also was closed for a time Sunday morning south of Lake Tahoe.
Yosemite National Park, which closed Thursday night ahead of the storm, partially reopened Sunday.
After a lull in the snow early Monday, another system was set to bring more snow, mainly from Interstate 80 northward, through Tuesday night. Drier air moving into Northern California was expected to limit snowfall compared with the weekend, but some areas could still see as much as another foot.
Blizzard warnings expired early Monday morning, but winter storm warnings remained in effect through early Wednesday for the mountains from Route 50 northward.
“Travel could be very difficult to impossible. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute,” said the National Weather Service in Sacramento, which gave a 40 to 80 percent chance of at least 6 inches of snow from I-80 to the north.
The Weather Service in Sacramento listed the following key forecast points:
• 6-12 inches of additional snowfall possible above 4,000 feet through Tuesday from I-80 northward.
• Locally higher amounts up to 2 feet possible at the highest peaks.
• Periods of moderate mountain travel impacts expected through Tuesday night.
Gusts with this next system were not expected to reach 190 mph, as was recorded Friday night at the summit of the Palisades Tahoe ski resort, but 40-mph gusts were possible into Tuesday.
Forecasters said to expect drier and warmer conditions for the middle and latter part of the week.