Signs of spring may be beginning to appear in many parts of the country, but winter is still firmly in its grip in California's Sierra Mountains.
Forecasters warned residents of the area, including Lake Tahoe, that the winter storm could bring strong winds and heavy snow of up to 3 feet in some areas and up to 8 feet in higher areas, leading to a „life-threatening snowstorm.“ warning to prepare for the situation. elevation.
„Travel to the Sierra Nera will be hazardous due to a life-threatening snowstorm between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning,“ the National Weather Service said. stated in a Thursday morning alert.. „Travel is strongly discouraged under these circumstances.“
Snowstorm warnings are rare in Tahoe, but one year ago Two feet of snow fell in the area in 24 hours, and winds gusted up to 50 mph.The country saw record rain and snow It's been over a year now.
The storm could bring wind gusts of more than 100 miles per hour at the top of the ridge, and forecasters warned that snow is expected to fall at a rate of 1 to 3 inches per hour starting this morning and into the weekend. They warned that measuring snowfall will be difficult as strong winds create snowdrifts.
And forecasters are using unusually blunt language to warn people of the storm's intensity.
“For the Sierra Nevada region, don’t get caught up in a ‘worst case’ time frame. The whole event is going to be really bad! ” N.W.S. said Wednesday afternoon..
The worst conditions are likely to occur Friday evening into Saturday morning, with snowfall amounts of up to 3 to 5 inches per hour.
The snow is expected to stop by Sunday, but that respite may be short-lived. Forecast models indicate another round of wintry weather could hit the region starting Monday, and will continue into the middle of the week. Although it won't be as strong as this weekend, the NWS notes that „more snow is possible.“