A Pacific storm packing powerful winds and heavy snow is shaping to be the strongest of the season, forecasters say, as it pushes toward Northern California with rain and wind in valley areas and potential blizzard conditions in the Sierra.
Weather officials and first responders alike have a very clear message to prospective Tahoe travelers this weekend — stay home.
Rain, wind in valley areas
The cold storm is expected to bring “mainly moderate” rainfall to valley areas, forecasters say. Courtney Carpenter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the Sacramento region could see some ponds forming on roadways in addition to slick driving conditions.
But she added that this storm would be less intense than others Sacramento has seen this season.
“For the Sacramento Valley, this system will be relatively mild,” she said. “It's only expected to drop between a half-inch to an inch and a half of rain.”
Valley areas are also expected to see gusty winds between Thursday and Friday, with speeds of up to 45 mph predicted for Friday. A Wind Advisory is in effect for much of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys through 4 a.m. on Saturday.
Forecasters with the weather service are warning of possible power outages and downed branches and trees.
Sacramento County and the city of Sacramento are both opening respite centers for those without permanent shelter or heat.
In the city of Sacramento, shelter will be available at:
- Auburn Outreach and Engagement Center, 3615 Auburn Blvd.
- This respite center can accommodate up to 50 adults. Pets are also welcome.
In Sacramento County, shelter will be available at:
- Warren E Thornton Youth Center Gym, 4000 Branch Center Road
- This respite center can accept up to 65 adults. Pets are welcome, but need to be kept in crates during the duration of a guest’s stay. Crates are available for those who don’t have them. Guests will also be given access to showers, meals and cots.
Both respite centers start accepting guests at 2 p.m. on Thursday and will remain open through Monday, March 4 at 9 a.m.
Sacramento Regional Transit is providing free rides to and from these respite centers between Thursday and Monday. To qualify for the free ride, passengers must present this flier to fare collectors.
More information on weather respite centers is available at 211sacramento.org or by calling 211.
Snow in Sierra
Mangal Singh parks his truck off the I-80 to puts chains on his truck wheels in preparation for the snow storm over the Sierra Nevada on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Truckee, Calif.AP Photo/Andy Barron
A Blizzard Warning took effect around the greater Lake Tahoe area on Thursday morning. It lasts through Sunday, with forecasters warning of widespread falling snow that could cause whiteouts and “extremely dangerous to impossible travel conditions.”
The storm is expected to drop up to 10 feet of snow in the mountains around Lake Tahoe by the end of the weekend. Forecasters are warning that snow could fall at elevations as low as 1,500 feet on Saturday. And wind gusts could be above 100 mph over Sierra ridges.
Speaking with CapRadio on Thursday, Caltrans Public Information Officer Jeremy Linder compared the poor visibility expected from blowing snow to hyperspace from Star Wars.
“[It’s] just coming straight at you, and when you have that on top of the reduced or very limited visibility it’s easy to get disoriented,” he said. “And not know where you’re going and that is a major hazard when you’re driving on the roadway.”
Caltrans is warning drivers should also be prepared for road closures, chain controls, and excessive delays traveling through the mountains.
Linder says avoiding travel is his number one piece of advice. If you must travel through the Sierra, he recommends being prepared for the possibility of long delays and to bring supplies like food and water, plus making sure your vehicle has a full tank of gas (or is fully charged).
Andrew Schwartz, the lead scientist at the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab, said it's possible they could break their modern-day record of about 3.5 feet of snow in a single day from back in 1989.
“It's a very serious storm for us,” Schwartz said Wednesday. “The forecasted total at the snow lab of 6 to 9 feet is on the lower side of what the models are suggesting.”
Officials are urging people who live in mountain communities to get ready.
Truckee town manager Jen Callaway says town facilities — including Truckee Tahoe Area Regional Transit — will likely be closed for the duration of the storm.
“That does not mean we are not working. Our staff will work remotely at home,” she told CapRadio on Wednesday. “That's to help facilitate keeping our roads clear for our crews to remove snow and our public safety if they need to respond to any calls. We want to keep our staff safe and the roads as passable as possible for our crews.”
Truckee's Emergency Services Coordinator Bob Womack says first responders are on standby and prepared for action.
"Operations [are] definitely ramping up. Our police department will certainly be staffed up for response and looking towards where they can mitigate issues early on,” he said on Wednesday.
He added that he’s also been in touch with the Truckee Donner Public Utility District to make sure the agency is staffed up.
"They've told us what their plans are. They're going to have crews in town,” he said. “So, response times should be cut down at least initially if there are any kind of power outage issues like that."
Some Tahoe-area ski resorts are preparing for the expected onslaught of snow. Palisades Tahoe — where one skier was killed in an avalanche earlier this year — said they’re monitoring the storm but are “thrilled about the prospect of deep coverage.”
“We saw a similar-sized storm around this same time last year, with 92 inches between 2/27 and 3/1,” Palisades officials wrote in a blog post Wednesday. “This resulted in one closure day for the resort.”
Kristi Anderson, a waitress at The Gateway Cafe in South Lake Tahoe, said she's already filled up her gas tank and was stocking up on food and firewood.
“Last year we had a lot of storms, and the power went out a lot and a lot of people couldn’t get out to get food and the grocery stores didn’t have power so, we’re preparing for that,” Anderson said. “I’m hoping not a lot of people travel here because the roads will be really bad."
Others remain skeptical.
Richard Cunningham said he's heard before about forecasts for the storm of the century that didn't materialize since he moved from Las Vegas to Reno in 1997.
“Same story, different day,” he told the Associated Press on Wednesday. “Sometimes it doesn’t even snow.”
The storm is expected to calm by Monday morning.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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