Snow, Winds, and a Flash Flood Warning in the Sierra Nevada as the Interaction Between Interstate Highway 80 and Tahoe Closed Down Saturday
The Sierra Nevada, including the mountains of Nevada, was shut down due to a winter storm with powerful winds, heavy rain and potentially several feet of snow.
In the Sierra, about 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snow already had fallen Saturday afternoon at Mammoth Mountain ski resort south of Yosemite where more than 10 feet (3 meters) of snow has been recorded since early November.
A 70-mile (112-kilometer) stretch of eastbound U.S. Interstate 80 was closed “due to zero visibility” from Colfax, California to the Nevada state line, transportation officials said. Chains were required on I-80 from Reno into the mountains.
The U.S. Forest Service issued an advisory for the backcountry in the mountains west of Lake Tahoe where it said there would be “very dangerous” risk of accidents due to snow and strong winds.
According to the National Weather Service, winds of 50 mph to 80 mph could go over the Sierra ridgetops in the early hours of Sunday.
There was a chance of 2 to 5 inches of rain in the Bay Area and 5 to 13 inches at the Sierra crest through the weekend.
There was a flash flood warning issued by the weather service when there was inches of rain on burn scars left from the fires south and south of Monterey.
Sacramento, Calif. – Power Outages and Trees Falling on Homes and Cars during the Sacramento Bee Early Monday Morning, December 26
More than 30,000 customers were without power in the Sacramento area at one point Saturday morning, but it was restored to all but a few hundred late in the day. The drivers and passengers of five cars that had been trapped between downed power lines escaped unharmed, the Sacramento Bee reported.
San Francisco Bay Area officials reported power outages and fallen trees, some of which damaged cars and homes. Firefighters responded to several reports of trees falling on homes in Monte Rio, which is a small town along the Russian River in Sonoma County.
The Monte Rio fire chief told KRON-TV four different down trees had damaged houses in the area but there were no injuries.
“This is our first big storm, we’ve been through several years of dry weather and all the trees were dry.” They are filling up with water and are starting to topple over, according to the television station.
The National Weather Service warned of a “relentless parade of atmospheric rivers” over the coming week, producing heavy rain and mountain snow. Atmospheric river storms are long plumes of moisture stretching out into the Pacific and are capable of dropping staggering amounts of rain and snow.
The rain in California came from the Pacific storms. A series of recent weather systems have knocked out power to thousands, flooded streets, battered the coastline and caused at least six deaths.
More than 25 centimeters of rain have fallen in San Francisco since December 26, while Mammoth Mountain has received nearly 10 feet (3 meters) of snow.
The Los Alamos Snow Storm of January 16-16, 2009, Associated with Mount Baldy and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office
Michael Anderson told a news conference late Saturday that officials were closely watching Monday’s storm and three other systems farther out in the Pacific.
Tardy said “this isn’t about if it will rain or snow, but how much”, as the region is expected to see significant snowfall until Friday night.
LA County is not used to removing snow so they maintain the road leading up to Mount Baldy. Ellingson expressed concerns about the potential for flooding caused by rains that could set the snow loose.
South Lake Tahoe’s snow operations team is ready to plow roadways, bike trails and sidewalks, said Assistant City Manager Lindsey Baker. Ensuring emergency vehicles can get where they need to go is their first priority.
The emerging storm is not unusual and the city anticipates it won’t be the similar kind of situation they experienced earlier this year.
Lauren Burke, publicist, said that the mountain has six inches over its average snow depth.
The first two weeks of January alone brought the region 17 feet of snow in just 16 days, which according to Burke, caused road and ski lift closures, along with heaps of snow to be shoveled.
But this February’s storm should be more manageable for the region – even if its summit gets between 15 and 21 inches of snow Friday, as the National Weather Service predicts. The storm should have the perfect amount of snow to get out there and ski.