A storm that could lash the Bay Area with more rain and wind early this week also could bring fierce, blizzard-like conditions to the Sierra Nevada mountains, prompting officials to issue stark warnings to those hoping for a snow-filled escape this week.
The system is at the tail end of a bout of cold air coming down from western Canada that pummeled portions of Northern California this past week with record-breaking snowfall. As a result, temperatures in the Bay Area could remain unseasonably chilly while the Sierra is buried in several feet of new snow – further adding to this season’s banner mountain snowpack.
“It’s looking like it could be definitely one of the snowiest years we’ve had in a couple of decades,” said Andrew Schwartz of the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Laboratory, which has already measured 37 feet of snow atop Donner Pass this season.
The incoming Bay Area system was expected to bring up to a quarter inch of rain on Sunday into the evening, with an uptick in winds. The stronger system will come Monday, with heavy rainfall starting in the North Bay around 7 a.m. and moving south to the Peninsula around 10 a.m. — with up to an inch of water expected to drop throughout the region into the afternoon. Gusts are forecasted to reach between 25 and 35 miles per hour and there’s a chance of thunderstorms.
“It could be a pretty messy Monday morning commute with some water on the roadways and some localized flooding,” said Jeff Lorber, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
Unsettled weather arrives tomorrow and continues through mid week. Look for rain, high elevation snow, gusty winds, and even a few thunderstorms. Stay weather aware and keep up with forecast changes! #cawx pic.twitter.com/al2f10kxmW
— NWS Bay Area 🌉 (@NWSBayArea) February 26, 2023
The storm will become milder Tuesday as rainfall drops to about a quarter of an inch throughout the region, Lorber said. Temperatures over the next few days are expected to be in the low 50s — and high 40s in some of the Bay Area’s mountainous regions. A sprinkling of a few inches of snow is expected on Mt. Hamilton, the Santa Cruz Mountains and portions of eastern Santa Clara.
By Thursday, conditions will improve and temperatures will jump back up to the mid-to-upper 50s.
But to the east, the incoming storm system is expected to wallop the Sierra Nevada with up to seven feet of snow.
“Don’t go to the mountains,” said Johnnie Powell, an NWS meteorologist. “It’s going to be stronger than a normal winter storm.”
The agency issued its first blizzard warning in more than two years for the northern Sierra Nevada, with forecasts calling for three to seven feet of snow for areas above 3,000 feet from about 4 a.m. Monday through early Wednesday morning.
About one to three feet of snow is forecast to fall in areas from 2,000 to 3,000 feet in elevation, while the northern Sacramento Valley could receive one to five inches of snow.
⚠️NEW: Along with Blizzard conditions over portions of the Sierra tomorrow – early Wed, low elevation snow is possible in the northwestern Sacramento Valley. Here’s a look at a summary of our current winter hazards, or view an interactive map here: https://t.co/HHoPDdXZi6 #CAwx pic.twitter.com/bXbBUuM689
— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) February 26, 2023
Visibility should be exceptionally poor throughout the area. Winds are forecast to reach 50 mph in most places and 70 mph along the Sierras’ ridgetops.
While the forecast may prove tempting for skiers seeking another round of fresh powder, Powell urged anyone thinking of traveling to the high country to hold off until later in the week due to dangerous — possibly impassable — travel conditions.
“Even your normal ski people who like to go up there, they should wait until it’s over,” he said.
The snow deluge is expected to impact travel for hopeful skiers. A Caltrans spokesperson said Sunday that it is “definitely possible” that I-80 and Highway 50 could be closed because of the impending storm. On Sunday, the two roads had chain controls in place — and live cameras showed thick snow already falling on I-80, leaving thin strips of asphalt as cars chugged along the mountain road.
Caltrans spokesperson Steve Nelson said that if travel is absolutely necessary, solid preparation is necessary.
“Have extra clothing. Have extra food,” Nelson said. “You might be held in traffic for six to eight hours. We never want that to happen. But that is the worst-case scenario. If you have no familiarity with driving in snow, postpone your trip.”
Unlike warm “Pineapple Express” storms that originate out in the tropics of the Pacific Ocean, the storm that’s expected to hammer Northern California this week is dipping down from the Gulf of Alaska, bringing with it a mass of frigid air.
That should mean that the snow falling over the mountains this week likely won’t resemble the heavy, wet “Sierra cement” that skiers are accustomed to navigating, according to meteorologists. Rather, it should fall light and fluffy – making it perfect powder to shred once the skies clear, said Dave Wilderotter, owner of Tahoe Dave’s, a ski equipment outfitter in the Lake Tahoe area. This year has already been filled with multiple storms carrying that colder, lighter snow – making it a banner ski season for the Sierra.
Remarkably high snow totals also have helped. As of Friday, snowpack in the northern Sierra stood at 142 % of normal for this time of year, according to the California Department of Water Resources. The Sierra’s statewide snowpack was at 173 % of its normal for that date.
“This is the best season I can remember for skiing,” said Wildrotter, a Tahoe resident of about 45 years. “It’s been so cold, and so much snow. And it’s come so regularly that it’s just been phenomenal.”
On Sunday afternoon, Wildrotter made plans to service his snow blower – a necessity for Tahoe-area residents, who can find themselves trapped in their houses without routine shoveling. And as he waited anxiously for the next round of powder to start falling, he said simply: “Let it come.”
“Can’t wait to ski on Wednesday – that’s the first thing,” Wildrotter said. “And it makes the fire season that much shorter.”
Ski resorts are also giddy. On Sunday, Lake Tahoe’s Diamond Peak Ski Resort spokesperson Paul Raymore said there’s a chance that the ski season could extend past its normal mid-April closure.
“I’m pretty confident we’ll stay open until the 16th or 23rd of April,” said Raymore, whose resort is on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. “If we have the snow conditions and interest…maybe even longer.”
The coming storm follows a more brutal tempest this past week that dumped nearly a foot of snow in the Bay Area’s higher elevations, closing roads and felling trees. The system was described by meteorologists as the most snowfall to hit the region since February 2011 and was still impacting local Bay Area roads as of Sunday afternoon.
The roads in the Santa Cruz Mountains include Highway 9 from Watermans Gap Junction to Route 35 and Roboma Drive to Stapp Road, Route 236 from Governors Camp to Waterman Gap Road. Closures in Santa Clara County include all lanes of Highway 130 between Quimby Road and Lick Observatory, as well as portions of Highway 130 between Vineyard Heights and to the west of the Edwards Loop Trailhead. Roads in Napa County include Route 29 from Tubbs Lane to the Lake County Line.
Source: www.mercurynews.com