6 to 8 feet of snow forecast for California mountains

The latest weather model projections show significant amount of snow over the next 72 hours. This will certainly help California’s drought situation. However it’s going to completely cripple road travel over I80, Highway 50 299 32 and possibly Highway 70. The majority of snow is expected on Thursday night, and low snow levels down to 1000 feet are possible by Friday night.

H/T to Dr. Ryan Maue

In addition, gusty winds will give blizzard like conditions in the mountains, along with high winds in the Delta and foothills of the Sierra Nevada

In addition, significant amounts of rain will fall. Some low lying areas may see some flooding.

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February 28, 2018 5:28 pm

The rain started up around noon here in the mountains on the western edge of the Sac Valley. A nice rain, light to start with, then picked up a bit. It broke the cold of the last 3 weeks.

Greg
Reply to  goldminor
February 28, 2018 11:49 pm

Just had over a foot of snow on the mediterranean cost in south of France. Haven’t seen that much snow here in 20 years. No doubt this is “exactly” what climate models told us would happen “in a warming world”.

Reply to  Greg
March 1, 2018 1:45 am

I have a sister who has lived in Paris for several decades. I gave her advice last winter to plan ahead for colder winters, with the possibility of a severely cold winter/s over the next 4 or 5 years. So she thanked me recently as she made changes with her electricity supplier which guaranteed her rate for 4 years. She says that as a result she has been able to stay more comfortable at a cheaper price than in the years prior. Plus she geared up to be prepared for being out in cold weather.

Sceptical lefty
Reply to  Greg
March 1, 2018 1:48 am

Get with the plan! ‘Warming’ is sooo yesterday. It’s now ‘climate change’, doncha know, and pretty well anything is ‘consistent with’ humanity’s pernicious influence on Gaia.
It’s time for sackcloth-and-ashes repentance coupled with uncritical acceptance of the Olympian pronouncements emanating from the climate elite.

ResourceGuy
Reply to  Greg
March 1, 2018 5:30 am

Carbon tax revenue should be up then.

Samuel C Cogar
Reply to  Greg
March 1, 2018 6:32 am

The Latest: Snow causes major disruption across Britain
Read more @
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/03/01/latest-snow-causes-major-disruption-across-britain.html

ptolemy2
Reply to  Greg
March 1, 2018 2:41 pm
s-t
Reply to  Greg
March 1, 2018 10:18 pm

Now it’s called “climate weirding”.
In other words, “we don’t have any idea what’s happening and we are 100% clueless which is exactly what we predicted”.

MarkW
Reply to  Greg
March 2, 2018 7:00 am

Any weather that is different from some artificial “average” is by definition, caused by CO2.

PaulH
February 28, 2018 5:29 pm

The skiers will be happy.

Reply to  PaulH
March 1, 2018 8:02 am

Yes, I am. Already about a foot of cold dry snow here in Tahoe City, perfect for fat skis and face shots.

Paul
Reply to  PaulH
March 1, 2018 11:39 am

So will my #1 grandson. He is a snow plow operator in the area for CALTRANS and loves it! So much better than picking up trash along the freeway.

David Hoopman
February 28, 2018 5:32 pm

Wow! Family members used to own a resort at Strawberry (Tuolumne County). Looks like they’re in line for about six feet. Wish I was there.

Tom Halla
February 28, 2018 5:34 pm

Good thing I don’t live in Shasta county anymore.

Ray R.
February 28, 2018 5:43 pm

Had booked a slope side condo for this weekend at Kirkwood. If I 80 is closed may just bar up in Reno with the adult kids. Welcome to the dreaded weather change.

philincalifornia
Reply to  Ray R.
February 28, 2018 7:23 pm

Well if you do make it to Kirkwood and you’re planning on going down the Wall, you’ll be happy that there’s snow on it when you look down from the top:
http://78.media.tumblr.com/d96e29ccc35ac6ddee8e86342b6dfcf3/tumblr_inline_mz7b8d01xa1r41n17.jpg
I only went down it once, when it was icy, and that was one time too many.

Old44
Reply to  philincalifornia
February 28, 2018 9:45 pm

At what point did you need a change of underwear?

Ed Zuiderwijk
Reply to  philincalifornia
March 1, 2018 12:15 am

I bet you haven’t had such a good crap for weeks.

RAH
Reply to  philincalifornia
March 1, 2018 1:29 am

That slope is about as steep as it gets because any steeper wouldn’t hold enough snow. Believe it or not I’ve skied down or across slopes like that off piste with a heavy ruck weapons and all on Alpine touring skies wearing leather Hag Wag 3/4 shank touring boots but of course not like those guys are doing it. Long shallow traverses done very gingerly and quietly trailing an avalanche cord is how it’s done when you have to. But more often than not you can’t do that and have to find another way because on those kinds of slopes with powder on top of old snow or stratified snow layers the avalanche danger is usually far too high. I’m sure some mountain troops are still doing that same thing today.

RAH
Reply to  philincalifornia
March 1, 2018 1:34 am

Later we didn’t have to use avalanche cords because we had the transponder/receiver units but when your fully tactical one has to be very careful of anything that emits a nondirectional signal of any frequency or power so old school still prevails at times.

Reply to  philincalifornia
March 1, 2018 8:17 am

If you want steeps, you need to come to Squaw. Check out the many lines in ‘Squallywood’ (you will need to buy the book …).
http://www.squallywood.com/

philincalifornia
Reply to  philincalifornia
March 1, 2018 12:00 pm

@Old44
I had the prescience to wear my dark brown ski pants that morning …..

Reply to  philincalifornia
March 1, 2018 5:44 pm

Hey, that looks dangerous.

MarkW
Reply to  philincalifornia
March 2, 2018 7:00 am

That’s why they do it.

Big Iron John
February 28, 2018 5:54 pm

Anyone know where Algore is at? Just curious.

3x2
Reply to  Big Iron John
February 28, 2018 9:20 pm

California, obviously. But he’s been visiting The UK.

Barry Sheridan
Reply to  3x2
February 28, 2018 11:44 pm

Al Gore is here, ah that explains the snow. It has been cold in southern England, -6 C which is unusual for here, overnight we have had a light snow with more expected over the day and into tomorrow.

Ed Zuiderwijk
Reply to  Big Iron John
March 1, 2018 12:16 am

Taken a skying holiday?

Reply to  Big Iron John
March 1, 2018 6:44 am

Yeah, the Jimmy Swaggart of Clmate chage is preaching in Engerland.

Latitude
February 28, 2018 6:27 pm

Santa Barbara County issues evacuation warning ahead of storm
Residents in these areas are urged to leave while they can.
http://abc7.com/weather/santa-barbara-county-issues-evacuation-warning-ahead-of-storm/3153576/

Latitude
Reply to  Latitude
February 28, 2018 6:28 pm

California areas advised to evacuate ahead of potential mudslides
Thousands of residents in a Southern California county where 21 people died from mudslides in January were advised on Wednesday to leave their homes, ahead of a rainstorm that officials said could again trigger a cascade of mud and rocks.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-california-weather/california-areas-advised-to-evacuate-ahead-of-potential-mudslides-idUSKCN1GC33B

Reply to  Latitude
February 28, 2018 9:40 pm

California residents are advised to leave California, in general. And permanently, if you value your ecoenomc well-being.
And it has nothing to do with the weather.

Paddy
Reply to  Joel O'Bryan
March 1, 2018 12:40 am

It’s because it’s a sh1th0le now, thanks to Brown and his ilk.

rocketscientist
Reply to  Joel O'Bryan
March 1, 2018 8:15 am

CA is reaping the consequences from Governor Moonbeam’s first foray into leadership when slow growth and anti development was the mis-thinking of the day. Now there is a housing shortage and over-taxed infrastructure.

ResourceGuy
Reply to  Latitude
March 1, 2018 5:38 am

This should be good for another 13 miles of high speed rail from the Governor’s climate change funding misdirection scheme. Throw in a climate conference presenter backing him up and he might get another 1.5 miles.

michael hart
February 28, 2018 7:00 pm

Excellent. Come spring melt-time, that should really help fill up the reservoirs behind the dams they built during the recent drought. Err… ummm… hang on a minute while I check up on that….

Pat Frank
February 28, 2018 7:06 pm

Why do they say, “blizzard-like conditions”?
It’s not “blizzard-like,” it’s a blizzard.
Meteorologists should have the professional courage to use plain language.

renbutler
Reply to  Pat Frank
February 28, 2018 8:06 pm

Blizzard is a well defined meteorological term. If it falls just short of one of the required parameters, it’s blizzard-like. If it’s not technically a blizzard, they would be wrong to call it one.

Wally
Reply to  renbutler
March 1, 2018 12:32 am

How can anything be blizzard-like and not be a blizzard?

Paddy
Reply to  renbutler
March 1, 2018 12:41 am

Near-blizzard, Shelley ….

RAH
Reply to  renbutler
March 1, 2018 1:43 am

Yup! Here is the definition of a “Blizzard” according to the American Meteorological Society Glossary of terms:
“blizzard
A severe weather condition characterized by high winds and reduced visibilities due to falling or blowing snow.
The U.S. National Weather Service specifies sustained wind or frequent gusts of 16 m per second (30 kt or 35 mi per hour) or greater, accompanied by falling and/or blowing snow, frequently reducing visibility to less than 400 m (0.25 mi) for 3 hours or longer. Earlier definitions also included a condition of low temperatures, on the order of -7°C (20°F) or lower, or -12°C (10°F) or lower (severe blizzard). The name originated in the United States but it is also used in other countries. In the Antarctic the name is given to violent autumnal winds off the ice cap. In southeastern France, the cold north wind with snow is termed blizzard (see also boulbie).
Similar storms in Russian Asia are the buran and purga. In popular usage in the United States and in England, the term is often used for any heavy snowstorm accompanied by strong winds.”

Hugs
Reply to  renbutler
March 1, 2018 2:39 am

So a blizzard is a snowstorm with a storm, and a snowstorm is just some heavy snowfall. What?
English… I should not even try.

MarkW
Reply to  renbutler
March 1, 2018 6:35 am

I prefer the term near blizzard for conditions that almost meet the definition of a blizzard.

rocketscientist
Reply to  renbutler
March 1, 2018 8:20 am

It’s the same reason why all windy storms are not Hurricanes. They’re defined by level of severity.
Definitions matter. Imprecision in communication causes mistakes.

Reply to  renbutler
March 1, 2018 5:46 pm

I prefer if the use the term “blizzardish”.

Peter s
Reply to  Pat Frank
February 28, 2018 10:13 pm

That’s because blizzards are not allowed anymore, due to climate change. But you are allowed to have “blizzard-like conditions”.

Reply to  Peter s
March 1, 2018 6:29 am

Right. It’s been said that our children won’t know what blizzards are anymore.

Reply to  Pat Frank
March 1, 2018 5:47 pm

If they want to make it sound as bad as possible, they could always say “sub-blizzard conditions”.

JBom
February 28, 2018 7:45 pm

[snip . . . mod]
Jajajajajajajajjajajaja

kenji
February 28, 2018 8:01 pm

Can some of you highly educated readers (perhaps Anthony, himself) answer my burning questions:
1. When did we start measuring “drought” as a daily occurance? I always thought “drought”, by definition required a large block of time to become evident?
https://www.drought.gov/drought/states/california
2. And when did we start defining “droughts” as human-caused events ?
https://www.livescience.com/21469-drought-definition.html
I welcome this “late” … yet completely NORMAL storm to our decidedly NON-drought year here in CA. Dump-away. Deluge-away. Normally. Totally NORMALLY.

Reply to  kenji
February 28, 2018 9:48 pm

Kenji: I checked out your link https://www.drought.gov/drought/states/california
Drought as measured in California is not a daily occurrence, with changes in coverage of California by 6 levels of drought (including “none” and D0 to D4) being reported weekly.
The percentages of California’s area in some of each of 6 levels of drought (including none) changed somewhat over a week as of 2/20. The biggest change over the most recent week (as of 2/20) was “none” losing nearly 10 percent of California’s area, D0 gaining nearly 8% California’s area. D1 gained slightly over 2% of California’s area. The percentage of California at D2 held steady at 19.88%, and the percentages at D3 and D4 held steady at zero.

kenji
Reply to  Donald L. Klipstein
February 28, 2018 10:16 pm

Drought, by all conventional definitions, is NEVER measured in weeks. What a JOKE. And never against some arbitrary standard of “normal”. The Drought Monitor is a political tool used to attack western civilization. It seeks only to foment fear and guilt and does so by ridiculous comparisons and measurements. Show me the maps in a week when this storm has unleashed a season-“normalizing” amount of H2O. And then CEASE measuring “droughts” by the week. Stupid bureaucrat leaches.

February 28, 2018 8:04 pm

Yeah, how intense does it have to be to say, “blizzard conditions”?
Let’s now explore the subtleties of such phrases as:
* rain-like conditions
* hurricane-like winds
* tornado-like winds
* monsoon-like accumulations
Like, whoa, dude, we’re using “like” too much, … for, like, no real reason.

Reply to  Robert Kernodle
February 28, 2018 9:10 pm

A blizzard is defined as having three hours (or hourly readings) with wind averaging or having frequent gusts at least 35 MPH and visibility 1/4 mile or less due to falling and/or blowing snow. (I have heard 1,000 feet before.) If a snowstorm has such wind and low visibility that falls short of being sustained or nearly sustained for 3 hours, weather folks often say “blizzard conditions at times”. If the wind falls a little short of 35 MPH, weather folks often say “blizzard-like”.

Gary Hladik
Reply to  Donald L. Klipstein
February 28, 2018 11:43 pm

How about using the term “near-blizzard conditions” to refer to a situation that is not quite, but almost harsh enough to be called a blizzard? You know, it’s like the term “near-freezing temperatures” when the temp is near but not at the freezing point.

Ed Zuiderwijk
Reply to  Robert Kernodle
March 1, 2018 12:52 am

Kind of rain, kind of a tornado, kind of an ergarten.

rocketscientist
Reply to  Robert Kernodle
March 1, 2018 8:30 am

I remember a teacher relating how he combatted student’s abuse of the word “like”.
When a student once asked , “Can I borrow something, like a pencil?” The teacher handed him a chopstick. The student replied, “This isn’t a pencil!”, to which the teacher responded “It is like a pencil.”

oeman50
Reply to  rocketscientist
March 1, 2018 9:45 am

Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.

February 28, 2018 9:36 pm

Funny that London and the entire UK is also getting hit with snow at the same time. The forecast is for snow for the next 3 days in London, …http://www.intellicast.com/Local/Weather.aspx?location=UKXX0085
Snowing here where I live but not sticking yet. …https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/overlay=total_cloud_water/orthographic=-113.58,39.88,1823/loc=-122.812,40.776

John F. Hultquist
Reply to  goldminor
February 28, 2018 10:49 pm

Your link suggests you are in the middle of a forest at 2,900 feet elevation just NE of Weaverville, CA.

Reply to  John F. Hultquist
February 28, 2018 11:03 pm

I am next to the Trinity River at around 1800 feet. Not far from Weaverville. The marker is just a general area marker. Nice country, changed a bit though over the years.

John F. Hultquist
February 28, 2018 10:41 pm

Gaia has taken note of all the alarmist nonsense about sea level rise.
To encourage Earth-folks to get their minds focused on serious matters (does the T-P go over or under), she has taken the step necessary to lower the sea level; namely snow in Canada, Greenland, Europe, Russia and a few other places.
Check the sea level in 4 days.

RAH
Reply to  John F. Hultquist
March 1, 2018 8:06 am

Well some of that will be offset by the heavy rains we’ve had. This Hoosier had flood warnings from the NWS coming onto his phone for 5 straight days ending Monday this week. So there is a lot of outflow into the Gulf and eastern seaboard now.

rocketscientist
Reply to  RAH
March 2, 2018 9:04 am

Many rolls are located in recesses in the wall next to the commode. Placing the roll so the free end is “under” makes it harder to find the free end without spinning the roll. 😉

rocketscientist
Reply to  RAH
March 2, 2018 9:05 am

posted onto wrong thread line sorry. see below

Reply to  menicholas
March 1, 2018 5:53 pm

Unless you have a certain type of cat. In that case, in goes in…a drawer.

Earthling2
Reply to  menicholas
March 1, 2018 8:41 pm

I still don’t get it. What difference does it make if it is over or under? And why do only women care? Am I missing something?

Ralph
February 28, 2018 11:28 pm

Highway 36’ll have chain controls too…

4TimesAYear
February 28, 2018 11:41 pm

Whoa – sounds a lot like last year all over again. https://www.facebook.com/fourtimesayear/photos/a.588591257956607.1073741837.360297500785985/796610507154680/?type=3&theater Other parts of the West coast are getting it too – Mt. Rainier and Crater lake have started picking up on the snowfall this last week.

RAH
March 1, 2018 1:10 am

When I was team driving our preferred route across the US when departing from let’s say Philadelphia with the destination S. California during the winter months was I-40. Colorado unlike other states, requires chaining of all drive and trailer tires, while other states require chaining tires alternately. Thus we avoided I-70 in Colorado as much as possible because I-70 was the least preferred route over the rocky mountains during the winter. If our destination was the Salt Lake city area or points due west or North West of there we would use I-80 instead of I-70. Unless specific weather conditions dictated differently it was better to brave the winds and snow on I-80 in Wyoming and the Donner Pass than I-70 in the Colorado Rockies. Of course I-10 to I-20 to I-10 was fine when the destination was the LA area or anywhere south of there when it made sense. There were times when bound for destinations in OR or WA that we would have to take I-40 and cut up onto I-5 because I-80 and I-90 were likely going to cause delays due to weather but when the weather was good I-90 was a great drive once you got past Chicago.

Tom in Florida
Reply to  RAH
March 1, 2018 9:05 am

If only that info could have been available to the Donner party.

ResourceGuy
Reply to  Tom in Florida
March 1, 2018 10:41 am

….and the fiery wreck of a truck and loss of life on I-70 this past summer.

ResourceGuy
March 1, 2018 5:41 am

This cloud cover should provide an excuse for another quarter of underperformance at the pathetic solar thermal plants. That gets another executive pay day with bonuses.

ResourceGuy
March 1, 2018 6:43 am

It’s called early Spring in climate deception land.

ResourceGuy
Reply to  ResourceGuy
March 1, 2018 10:38 am

And it’s early Spring in EuroLand now also.

John Pickens
March 1, 2018 6:45 am

England running out of natural gas, today!
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/925663/UK-snow-storm-Gas-runs-out-National-Grid-2018-weather
And note that the article’s solution to this is more renewables!!!

Bruce Cobb
March 1, 2018 6:55 am

Meanwhile, here in the northeast US, we have a nor’easter headed our way, which will dump more rain on us than snow (more snow the further west, away from the center of the storm). That will be due to “global warming”, of course.

March 1, 2018 6:57 am

Weather never bothered snowshow Thompson. Have skied amost all of the resorts and enjoyed every one from Big Bear to Squaw. Driven Highway 50 over the Sierra crest and Devils Gate Pass in a blizzard at night in a rental Camry with 2mm of front rubber and one headlamp pointing at the ground. Skiing in Kirkwood to 90 degrees next lunchtime in Death Vally. Climate change or what…. easy in America. What’s not to like?
Its cold, snowing and damp in dontown London. We get no fires, floods and mudslides, because we don’t try to live where they happen. Boring but safer, and we don’t risk getting shot every time we go out. Just knifed if its SE London.

Reply to  brianrlcatt
March 1, 2018 1:26 pm

In the old days, we were never surprised at a knife attack in SE London. The perpetrators wore Millwall kit for fair warning. Come to think about it, they probably still do.

Gary Pearse
March 1, 2018 7:06 am

California greens will be upset by this, although the the ‘snail darter’ or what ever analogue they have in California will be pleased.

MarkW
March 1, 2018 9:48 am

Would there be a perceptible seasonal pattern in sea level heights.
During winter, lots of snow builds up on land, and during spring, lots of water evaporates from the seas and is deposited on the land as rain. This rain takes as much as several weeks returning to the seas.
(Yes, I know that the southern hemisphere is out of phase with the north with regard to temperatures, however there is a lot more land in the northern hemisphere compared to the south. And this is especially true as you get closer to the respective poles.)

Cointreau
March 1, 2018 10:29 am

Happy to see a mention of the extreme weather we’ve been experiencing this winter.
This is just the start of it folks.

climatereason
Editor
Reply to  Cointreau
March 1, 2018 11:49 am

Read the ‘US weather review’ which dates back some 150 years or more. Plenty of examples of weather in the past being more severe than today
tonyb

John F. Hultquist
Reply to  climatereason
March 1, 2018 4:42 pm

Oh. I see.
Cointreau thinks “This is just the start …” of extreme weather expected to last as long as CO2 stores heat in the atmosphere – – – or something. I missed that.
Of course, a warming atmosphere should do just the opposite as the gradients become less. This is what David Viner was think of when he argued snow was going to be found only in history books.
My mother would say, “If you don’t tell the truth, you have to remember your lies.”

March 1, 2018 5:32 pm

Are these projections or predictions by those prognosticators?

John F. Hultquist
Reply to  menicholas
March 1, 2018 7:10 pm
brians356
March 3, 2018 9:46 am

In the past five days Squaw Valley USA ski resort received 90 inches of snowfall at the 8000 ft level.

brians356
Reply to  brians356
March 3, 2018 10:33 am

… and in the past 24 hours, the “percent of normal” snow water equivalent for the Tahoe basin snowpack jumped from 25% to 42% of normal for the date.