I-80 and 50 will likely be closed Friday, Saturday and possibly Sunday over the Sierras (up to 10 feet of snow) at higher elevations

Travel over the Sierras Friday, Saturday and Sunday Morning might be impossible by any vehicles

partial quote from below:

The National Weather Service offices in Reno and Sacramento offered a blunt assessment of this storm's likely impacts. =posted on X that "whiteout conditions and road closures are likely." NWS-Reno "travel in the Sierra may be difficult to impossible for an extended period with near-zero visibility".

 

begin quote from: https://weather.com/storms/winter/news/2024-02-27-california-sierra-snowstorm-blizzard-feet-of-snow

Video

Winter Storm

California Storm Prompts Sierra Blizzard Warnings Where Up To 10 Feet Of Snow Could Fall

By Jonathan Erdman

11 hours ago

At a Glance

• A powerful Pacific storm is headed to the West Coast.
• It will bring low-elevation rain and mountain snow to much of the Northwest and northern Rockies.
• But its most severe impacts are likely in California's Sierra Nevada mountains.
• Blizzard conditions are likely, and accumulations will be measured in multiple feet in the Sierra.
• This will likely be their heaviest snowstorm since about this time last year.

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A Pacific storm will hammer California's Sierra with feet of heavy snow and blizzard conditions in what could be the region's heaviest snowstorm in a year.

N​ot mincing words: Blizzard warnings have been issued in the northern and central Sierra, including Lake Tahoe, from Thursday morning through Sunday morning.

The National Weather Service offices in Reno and Sacramento offered a blunt assessment of this storm's likely impacts. =posted on X that "whiteout conditions and road closures are likely." NWS-Reno "travel in the Sierra may be difficult to impossible for an extended period with near-zero visibility".

Forecast Timing: First starting in the Pacific Northwest, this storm will spread rain and increasingly heavy mountain snow and increasing wind into Northern California on Thursday.

F​riday appears to be the peak of the storm, with high winds and heavy Sierra and Siskiyou snow, including snow falling at lower elevations (2,000 feet and above) than typical.

S​aturday, moderate to heavy snow and strong winds will continue. Colder air spilling in could lead to accumulations falling as low as 1,000 feet elevation.

S​unday, the activity should taper off, but snow showers as low as 1,000 feet elevation remain possible in the morning.

(Further beef up your forecast with our detailed, hour-by-hour breakdown for the next 8 days – only available on our Premium Pro experience.)

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F​eet of snow: This is expected to be the Sierra's heaviest single snowstorm this season, and heaviest since a siege of storms exactly one year ago in late February and early March 2023.

As typical in the Sierra, major snowstorms are measured in feet. According to the National Weather Service, some higher elevations in the Sierra around Donner Pass could pick up over 8 feet of total snowfall from Thursday through Sunday.

Heavy snow is also expected in the Siskiyous and some coastal ranges of far Northern California. A​s NWS-Sacramento detailed, this will impact travel on stretches of Interstates 5 and 80 as well as U.S. 50, potentially leading to closures.

High winds: Strong winds will accompany the cold front in Northern California and the Great Basin late Wednesday night into Thursday. These high winds will continue particularly in the Sierra into Friday, before easing a bit Saturday and ending by Sunday.

These wind gusts are capable of tree damage and power outages. And combined with heavy snow, they could lead to blizzard conditions, at times, in the Sierra and possibly the Siskiyous.

D​o not travel in the Sierra from late Thursday through Saturday. If you must do so, make sure you carry an emergency kit in your vehicle, have a fully-charged smartphone and let family and friends know when you're traveling.

N​ot a major heavy rain threat: Heavy snow will be this storm's main calling card. However, some one-inch-plus rainfall totals are expected at elevations too warm for snow, primarily in Northern California but also in parts of Southern California.

T​his could lead to isolated flooding of typical urban trouble spots (freeway exit ramps, for example) but also could lead to some slides and debris flows given soggy ground from recent rainfall.

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. His lifelong love of meteorology began with a close encounter with a tornado as a child in Wisconsin. He completed a Bachelor's degree in physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, then a Master's degree working with dual-polarization radar and lightning data at Colorado State University. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on X (formerly Twitter), Threads, Facebook and Bluesky.

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