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Winter storm system moving onshore in Pacific Northwest
The first in a series of strong storms will impact the Pacific Northwest beginning early Thursday and continue into the weekend. Heavy rainfall, significant mountain snowfall, strong winds, and flooding are possible in this region.
Much warmer than they've been seeing so far this year as well. Rising snow levels will most likely melt a lot of the lower elevation snow that's been piling up. Wetter storm overall though, so whatever falls above the snowline should be much higher in water content than recent storms. Good for the drought.
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
221 PM PST SUN DEC 20 2015
...A SERIES OF STRONG STORM SYSTEMS WILL BRING HEAVY MOUNTAIN SNOW
THIS WEEK...
SNOW WILL CONTINUE OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN THIS EVENING FROM THE
INITIAL STORM WHICH HAS LOW SNOW LEVELS. IN THE LAKE SHASTA AND
NORTHERN SHASTA COUNTY AREA SNOW LEVELS WILL DROP TO 1000 FEET
AT TIMES WITH ACCUMULATING SNOW ABOVE 1500 FEET. OVER THE
SIERRA...SNOW LEVELS WILL HOVER AROUND 2500 FEET...BUT RISE TO
4000 FEET MONDAY MORNING.
A MUCH STRONGER...WETTER AND WARMER STORM WILL MOVE QUICKLY INTO
SIERRA MONDAY. SNOW LEVELS WILL RISE TO ABOVE 5000 FEET MONDAY
AFTERNOON AND ABOVE 6000 FEET MONDAY NIGHT. VERY HEAVY WET SNOW IS
LIKELY WITH SNOW RATES GREATER THAN ONE INCH PER HOUR MONDAY
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
EARLY WEEK TRAVEL WILL BE IMPACTED WITH SLICK ROADS...TRAVEL
DELAYS AND CHAIN CONTROLS OVER THE SIERRA AND POSSIBLY OVER THE
COAST RANGE TODAY. MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO PLAN ACCORDINGLY. CALL
1- 800-427-7623 (ROAD) FOR ROAD CONDITIONS.
CAZ069-211515-
/O.NEW.KSTO.WS.W.0011.151221T1800Z-151222T1800Z/
/O.EXT.KSTO.WW.Y.0017.000000T0000Z-151221T1800Z/
WEST SLOPE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA-
INCLUDING THE CITY OF...BLUE CANYON
221 PM PST SUN DEC 20 2015
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST MONDAY...
...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM MONDAY TO 10 AM PST
TUESDAY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SACRAMENTO HAS ISSUED A WINTER
STORM WARNING FOR SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM MONDAY TO
10 AM PST TUESDAY.
* MAIN IMPACTS: SNOW COVERED AND SLIPPERY ROADS...TRAVEL DELAYS
AND CHAIN CONTROLS.
* SNOW LEVELS...2500 FEET TODAY RISING TO 4000 FEET MONDAY
MORNING AND ABOVE 6000 FEET MONDAY NIGHT.
* TIMING...PERIODS OF SNOW THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING...HEAVIEST
MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
* LOCATIONS...WESTERN SLOPES OF NORTHERN SIERRA INCLUDING
INTERSTATE 80...HIGHWAYS 50 AND 88.
* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...12 TO 18 INCHES ABOVE 5500 FEET FROM TODAY
THROUGH TUESDAY WITH MORE THAN 2 FEET OF NEW SNOW ABOVE 7000
FEET...2 TO 4 INCHES 2500 FEET TO 5500 FEET.
* OTHER IMPACTS...LOW VISIBILITY IN HEAVY SNOW AND WIND GUSTS TO
50 MPH. SNOWFALL RATES OVER AN INCH PER HOUR.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
510 PM PST MON DEC 21 2015
.UPDATE...
WINDS ACROSS THE REGION HAVE DECREASED A LITTLE EARLY THIS EVENING
BUT CONTINUE TO GUST IN THE 35-45 MPH RANGE. A FEW WIND PRONE
AREAS ARE STILL BLOWING TO NEAR 65 MPH. THE WINDS OVER PYRAMID
LAKE ARE DECREASING AND THE LAKE CLOSES TO BOAT TRAFFIC AT SUNSET
SO WE HAVE ALLOWED THE LAKE WIND ADVISORY TO EXPIRE. WE WILL
REEXAMINE THE WINDS LATER THIS EVENING TO DETERMINE IF THE WIND ADVISORY
FOR EAST OF THE SIERRA NEEDS TO BE EXTENDED OR CAN DROP OUT. WE
WILL ALSO BE LOOKING AT THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ADDITIONAL ADVISORY
TUESDAY AS WINDS INCREASE ONCE AGAIN EAST OF THE SIERRA.
ELSEWHERE...COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF PRECIPITATION CONTINUE AFFECT THE
SIERRA WITH SNOW LEVELS STILL HOVERING AROUND 6000-6200 FEET. 20
&&
.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 320 PM PST MON DEC 21 2015/
SYNOPSIS...
MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE SIERRA AND
NORTHWEST NEVADA THOUGH TUESDAY WITH HEAVY SNOWFALL IN THE HIGH
SIERRA AND STRONG WINDS TO THE SIERRA FRONT. WEDNESDAY WILL BE THE
BEST TRAVEL DAY OF THE WEEK IN THE SIERRA, BEFORE A MUCH COLDER
WINTER STORM PUSHES INTO THE REGION ON CHRISTMAS EVE. COLD AND
DRY CONDITIONS WILL FOLLOW FOR THE WEEKEND WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF
A WEAK WEATHER SYSTEM EARLY NEXT WEEK.
SHORT TERM...
THIS MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE REGION
THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING WITH HEAVY SIERRA SNOW, MODERATE TO HEAVY
VALLEY RAIN, AND STRONG WINDS. WIND GUSTS UP TO 55 MPH WILL
CONTINUE THIS EVENING, WITH RIDGE WINDS IN THE SIERRA GUSTING
OVER 100 MPH TONIGHT. WIND PRONE AREAS, ESPECIALLY ALONG HIGHWAY
395 SUCH AS WASHOE VALLEY MAY SEE WIND GUSTS UP TO 80 MPH. LIGHT
RAIN IS POSSIBLE INTO WESTERN NEVADA TONIGHT, ALTHOUGH MOST OF THE
ACTION WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE SIERRA AND NORTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA.
THIS STORM HAS BEEN QUITE THE CHALLENGE REGARDING SNOW LEVELS
AS WE EXPECTED. SNOW LEVELS CONTINUE TO HOVER ANYWHERE BETWEEN
6000 TO 7000 FEET DEPENDING ON THE LOCATION. CURRENT SNOW LEVELS
AROUND LAKE TAHOE ARE SITTING AT AROUND 6500 FEET, ONLY A FEW
HUNDRED FEET OFF THE LAKE LEVEL, ALTHOUGH ALONG AND WEST OF
HIGHWAY 89, SNOW LEVELS HAVE REMAINED A BIT LOWER NEAR LAKE LEVEL.
THIS HAS RESULTED IN HEAVY RAINFALL NEAR LAKE LEVEL, A MIX OF
RAIN/SLUSH AROUND 6500 FEET AND VERY HEAVY SIERRA CEMENT ABOVE
6500 FEET.
HEAVY PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING
FOR THE SIERRA, WITH HEAVY SNOW AMOUNTS AT PASS LEVEL UP TO 3 FEET
OR MORE. IT`S POSSIBLE THAT A FEW LOCATIONS ABOVE 8000 FEET ALONG
THE SIERRA CREST MAY SEE UP TO 4 FEET. TRAVEL OVER THE SIERRA
CREST, ESPECIALLY DONNER PASS AND ECHO SUMMIT WILL BE DANGEROUS
DUE TO HEAVY SNOW, STRONG WINDS, AND WHITE OUT CONDITIONS THROUGH
TUESDAY MORNING. MULTIPLE SIERRA HIGHWAYS INCLUDING DONNER PASS
AND ECHO SUMMIT ARE BEING SEVERELY IMPACTED BY HEAVY SNOW AND LOW
VISIBILITIES THIS AFTERNOON. TRAVEL IS NOT RECOMMENDED OVER THE
SIERRA PASSES TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING.
DOWN AROUND LAKE TAHOE LEVEL, SNOW TOTALS WILL END UP BEING UP TO
18 INCHES ON THE WEST SIDE OF TAHOE POTENTIALLY FROM CARNELIAN
BAY/TAHOE CITY DOWN TO EMERALD DAY. THIS IS A MUCH DIFFERENT STORM
EAST OF HIGHWAY 89, WITH LOCATIONS SEEING LITTLE TO NO
ACCUMULATION AROUND LAKE TAHOE LEVEL AT INCLINE VILLAGE, DOWN
THROUGH STATELINE AND SOUTH LAKE TAHOE. WITH THE HIGHER SNOW
LEVELS AND MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL, WE COULD SEE SOME MINOR
NUISANCE FLOODING OF URBAN AND SMALL STREAMS IN THE EASTERN SIERRA
FROM THE TAHOE BASIN NORTH TO PLUMAS AND LASSEN COUNTIES.
FURTHER SOUTH IN MONO COUNTY, HEAVY SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL REMAIN
AT ELEVATIONS 7000 FEET AND ABOVE, WHERE STORM TOTAL SNOW AMOUNTS
MAY REACH 6 TO 18 INCHES WEST OF HIGHWAY 395, ESPECIALLY AROUND
MAMMOTH LAKES/JUNE LAKE AND DEADMAN SUMMIT.
LASTLY, UP NORTH IN LASSEN, PLUMAS, MODOC AND NORTHERN WASHOE
COUNTY, STORM TOTAL SNOW AMOUNTS ARE LIKELY ABOVE 5500 FEET WEST
OF HIGHWAY 395 UP TO 14 INCHES WITH 4 TO 8 ABOVE 5500 FEET EAST OF
HIGHWAY 395. AS FOR BELOW 5500 FEET, INCLUDING SURPRISE VALLEY, A
MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW WILL BE MOST LIKELY WITH ANOTHER COUPLE
INCHES OF SNOW POSSIBLE.
Mammoth Mountain, CA snowfall totals this season so far.
This Season (2015-2016)
Nov.....56.0 in.
Dec......69.0 in.
Total: 125.0 in.
Snow History This Month
Dec 4 ........1.0 in.
Dec 10.......3.0 in.
Dec 11.......11.0 in.
Dec 14.......1.0 in.
Dec 13.......8.0 in.
Dec 19.......6.0 in.
Dec 21.......3.0 in.
Dec 22.......19.0 in.
Dec 24.......14.0 in.
Dec 26.......3.0 in.
Last Month
Nov 3 ........12.0 in.
Nov 4........1.0 in.
Nov 9 ........12.0 in.
Nov 10.......8.0 in.
Nov 16.......8.0 in.
Nov 25.......9.0 in.
Nov 26.......5.0 in.
Nov 27.......1.0 in.
Compare this to last season, and we seem to be much better off, thus far:
Last Season (2014-2015)
Nov......13.1 in.
Dec......63.5 in.
Jan.......2.6 in.
Feb......33.0 in.
Mar......7.5 in.
Apr......28.3 in.
Mar......28.0 in.
Total 176.0 in.
This needs to keep up in order for us to have a good shot at making a dent in this drought. In reality, while any sort of precip. is good news for our drought, I honestly just want some more interesting weather than we've had the last few winters. Painfully boring is an understatement.
Come March I will be ecstatic to see something like this again:
Here are the base totals as of noon Thursday. Most of these sites have multiple snow study plots so you may see some variations in the exact numbers reported by different sources but they are all in the same ballpark.
WSDOT says Snoqualmie Pass has received over 100 inches in the last seven days, nearly equaling the total for all last season. That’s very welcome news for Summit at Snoqualmie, which saw its ski season basically wiped out last year due to low snow totals.
Crystal Mountain reports it has received over 19 feet of snow this fall and winter so far and 101 inches in the past nine days.
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