New winter storm could push California’s snowpack to record high

In the mountains, heavy snow falls in addition to already historic amounts.

Prior to this storm, the amount of water stored in the state’s snowpack was nearing or exceeding records in two of the three regions. The Southern Sierra blew its previous record in late February and, as of March 27, is running 284% of its annual average.After this storm hit, the state average was A record high.

A winter storm warning is in effect for the Sierra Nevada and much of Northern California to parts of Oregon. general, Expect 2-3 feet The altitude of this storm is high, in some places over 4 feet high. Snow levels will initially be around 7,000 feet, but will drop to 500 to 2,500 feet as the cold front passes Tuesday.

Several inches of rain are expected in the lowlands from southern Oregon to southern California. The National Weather Service wrote on Monday that “the heaviest rainfall is expected on the central coast of California on Tuesday.”

The wind also roars as the first part of the storm arrives. wind report Wind gusts around 50 mph are effective in the San Francisco Bay Area, and can be even higher in coastal areas. The storm came just a week after a blast cyclone unleashed gusts of wind up to 80 mph in the Bay Area, knocking over trees and power lines. At least five people died as a result of trees falling over vehicles.

The storm, embedded in a jet stream depression, is pushing in from the poles and eyeing the West Coast. On Monday it was swirling ominously south off British Columbia, Canada.

Precipitation will increase in the north on Monday night, reaching maximum intensity in the Bay Area and central parts of the state from Tuesday night, and easing somewhat by Wednesday as it heads into Southland.

The storm will eventually rejoin the mid-latitude currents and eventually make its way across the country at the end of the week.

Increasing historical snow depth

The snowy side of this storm progresses Monday night in the adjacent parts of Northern California’s Klamath Mountains and Oregon’s Cascade Chain. Heavy snow will then move south through the Sierras into Tuesday. The heaviest snowfall lasts about 10 hours and can come in bursts.

A snow rate of 3 inches per hour or more is likely to be Tuesday’s heaviest burst, leading to unsafe travel and possibly the closure of some roads.

Total fresh snow in the Sierra should typically reach 2-4 feet. A few locations in Oregon and southern Washington could also see a foot or two of snow by Thursday.

At the Central Sierra Snow Lab, season total It was 692 inches after the recent storm ended. It has the second highest snowfall on record, behind only 812 inches in 1951-52.

It’s a similar story up and down the Sierra, with ski fields hitting record challenging volumes.Palisades Tahoe announced that skiing will continue until July 4recorded 678 inches, Mammoth Mountain is 1 inch below the record, 667 inches at the main lodge, and over 800 inches total at the summit.

The Los Angeles Times reported that “the average snow water equivalent statewide is equivalent to 58.1 inches (about 5 feet) of water stored in the snow pack.”

Heavy rains and potential for flooding

The Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center has declared a level 2 of 4 extreme rain danger for much of the California coast from near San Francisco to around Santa Barbara. Level 1 4 risks also cover the Central Valley.

“This rainfall event is not expected to be as intense as the atmospheric rivers that have impacted the state in recent weeks,” the center wrote early Monday, although previous heavy rains and high water levels are expected to cause flooding. He added that it increases the chances.

The Bay Area and mountainous areas north of it (below snow levels) are likely to experience the heaviest rainfall. In San Francisco, the projection is about 1-2 inches. A total of 2 to 3 inches is expected more extensively north of the bay.

The central and northern parts of the state should see the heaviest rain in the first half of Tuesday. More rainfall could lead to at least localized flooding if the soil is saturated.

Nearly all of California’s major reservoirs are now near or above their historical averages. Minor flooding in central California’s Merced and San Joaquin rivers is projected to continue in wet weather.

Wind can also cause some problems

“Complicating the effects of this storm are the strong gusts of wind,” the Bureau of Meteorology, which serves the Bay Area, wrote in a morning discussion. “Saturated soil and wind make fallen trees and power outages even more likely.”

A major thrust of high winds is predicted for the first part of the event Monday night through Tuesday afternoon.

Jason Samenow contributed to this report.