According to forecasters, a potent Pacific storm with strong winds and heavy snowfall is poised to become the most intense of the season, heading towards California. The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a blizzard warning spanning a 300-mile stretch of the Sierra, from north of Lake Tahoe to south of Yosemite National Park, from early Thursday until Sunday morning. The storm could bring up to 10 feet (3 meters) of snow to the Lake Tahoe region by the weekend.
Communities Gear Up for Historic Storm
The National Weather Service warns that widespread blowing snow will lead to blizzard conditions, including white-out situations and near-zero visibility, making travel “extremely dangerous to possible” from Friday into Saturday morning, when the heaviest snowfall is anticipated. According to the weather service, towns along the shore of Lake Tahoe can expect between 2 and 4 feet (61 to 122 cm) of snow, while the highest elevations could receive 5 to 10 feet, accompanied by wind gusts exceeding 100 mph (160 km/h) over Sierra ridgetops. Road closures and power outages are anticipated. The weather service in Reno cautions against underestimating the severity of this storm. While potential snowfall totals may vary, the Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland, asserts that there is little doubt that “March will be coming in like a lion for the West Coast states.”
The Weather Prediction Center announced on Wednesday that an “impressive winter storm will pummel the Cascades to the Sierra with blizzard conditions as the week draws to a close.”
Heavy snowfall is expected in the Rocky Mountains, albeit to a lesser extent, while coastal areas from San Francisco to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington anticipate heavy rainfall, likely accumulating a few inches over the next three days.
The lead scientist at the Sierra’s snow lab mentioned the possibility of breaking their modern-day record of approximately 3.5 feet of snow in a single day, set back in 1989. Andrew Schwartz, speaking from UC-Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Lab established in 1946 in Soda Springs, California, northwest of Lake Tahoe, emphasized the severity of the storm. Kristi Anderson, a waitress at the Gateway Cafe in South Lake Tahoe, California, reported preparing for the storm by filling up her gas tank and stocking up on food and firewood.
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