Good morning everybody! Here is a quick update on the storms headed our way.Â
A series of strong Pacific storms will bring very heavy snow and gusty winds to the Sierra, with travel nearly impossible at times through Tuesday according to a Winter Storm warning issued by the National Weather Service’s office in Reno.
Here in the Honey Lake Valley, we will see a mix of rain and snow today, changing to all snow by this evening. Snow is likely to impact local roadways Monday and Tuesday morning, leading to the possibility of school bus delays or closures.
Heavy snow expected is expected here in the valley with snow accumulations of up to 12 inches. In Susanville, most of the snow will fall between late Sunday afternoon and Tuesday morning.
Above 5,000 feet forecasters expect 8 to 20 inches. West of Highway 395, into the mountains, 2 to 5 feet of snow is predicted with snow drifts deeper than 5 feet.
Along with the heavy snow, winds will be gusting as high as 40mph beginning this afternoon and continuing through Monday.
Gusty winds could cause very low visibility with white-out conditions at times and could bring down tree branches. Power outages are likely.
TRAVEL IS HIGHLY DISCOURAGED IN THE SIERRA LATE THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY MORNING.
If you risk travel over the Sierra make sure you are prepared for the very real possibility of getting stranded and/or trapped in your vehicle for a long time. It could be many hours until help may be able to reach you.
Snow showers will largely be winding down Tuesday night into early Wednesday as the storm finally loses strength and exits to the east.
From Wednesday through Thursday, dry and cold conditions will prevail with decreasing clouds Wednesday, then increasing again from north to south on Thursday.
Highs will struggle to reach the freezing mark even in lower elevations both days, while Wednesday night looks to be the coldest night of the week when cloud cover is minimized, along with light winds and widespread snow cover. Lows will likely plunge into the single digits or lower teens, with sub-zero temperatures for the typically colder Sierra valleys.
