The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a weather warning in California as an early spring storm threatens to bring up to 4 feet of snow to high-elevation areas near Sacramento, posing a risk to travel.
The approaching storm comes several weeks after a massive snowstorm slammed California earlier this month. That storm brought more than 100 inches of snow to some high-elevation areas.
Winter weather has drenched California this winter, and several cities have already surpassed their annual average rainfall amounts. Despite the arrival of spring this week, more snow is on the way for the Golden State, and the weather could make travel difficult.
The NWS issued the warning in the early morning hours on Friday, and it will remain in effect until early Sunday.
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“Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 1 to 3 feet. Winds gusting as high as 45 mph,” the warning said. “Travel could be very difficult from delays, snow-covered roads, and chain controls. Gusty winds may bring down tree branches.”
For the West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada, including Interstate 80 over Donner Pass and Highway 50 over Echo Summit, snow could exceed 4 feet.
“If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency,” the warning said.
NWS meteorologist Chelsea Peters said that travel is the biggest concern with the approaching storm. Peters told Newsweek that the heaviest snow will fall Friday night after 7 p.m. local time. Snow will fall at a high rate of 1 to 3 inches per hour.
“That is mainly going to be limited to tonight,” Peters said. “The bulk of the snow will fall above 5,500 to 6,000 feet.”
In addition to the winter weather warning, a winter weather advisory was issued across Northern California and for the eastern part of the state along the Nevada border. A wind advisory was issued for a large portion of the southern part of the state.
The NWS office in Sacramento shared the storm’s radar progression in a post to X (formerly Twitter).
“Periods of showers, isolated thunderstorms and mountain snow will spread over NorCal Friday lasting through the weekend,” the post said.
More winter storms are expected to hit the Sacramento region early next week. A second storm is forecast to begin on Tuesday afternoon, bringing more snow. There’s the potential for a third storm to hit the region late next week, although details remain unclear.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.