A powerful blizzard hit the already snow-packed peaks of Northern California late Monday night, just hours after chaos ensued from a major storm system during the first weekend of March.
A mixture of snow and rain is expected to blanket Southern Oregon down through the Sierra Nevada mountains of Northern California until at least Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Another six to 12 inches of snow could easily land by mid-week, adding to the already chaotic environment in the region.
SODA SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 04: Vehicles are covered in snow at Boreal Mountain Resort, currently shuttered due to the storm, following a massive snowstorm in the Sierra Nevada mountains on March 04, 2024 in Soda Springs, California. The four-day storm delivered as much as 10 feet of snow and wind gusts up to 190 mph in the Sierra Nevada, eliminating a ‘snow drought’ and significantly boosting the snowpack. On average, the Sierra Nevada snowpack melt provides about 30 percent of California’s crucial water supply in a state which only recovered from drought last year. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
SODA SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 04: People snowshoe following a massive snowstorm in the Sierra Nevada mountains on March 04, 2024 near Soda Springs, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 03: Trees and homes are covered in snow during a powerful multiple day winter storm in the Sierra Nevada mountains, which is boosting the snowpack, on March 03, 2024 in Truckee, California. Blizzard warnings were issued with snowfall of up to 12 feet expected in some higher elevation locations. A stretch of Interstate 80 in California remains shut down in both directions due to the storm. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 02: Valentino Perez uses a snowblower in front of a restaurant north of Lake Tahoe during a powerful multiple day winter storm in the Sierra Nevada mountains on March 02, 2024 in Truckee, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
In the 72 hours following February 29, 2024, more than 10 feet of snow landed throughout California’s Sierra Nevada. Sugar Bowl was the hardest hit with 126 inches over the course of four days, NWS Sacramento shared on their social media.
Continued mountain travel impacts today through Wednesday, please be sure to prepare for hazardous travel conditions, slick foothills/mountain roads, travel delays, and chain controls. Heaviest snowfall north of I-80 tonight through early AM Tuesday. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/ZQ3v1NPHjd
— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) March 4, 2024
People who live or were vacationing within the Sierra might be trapped wherever they are for “some time to come,” AccuWeather’s California expert Ken Clark said following the first storm of March. It’s likely that the additional snowfall expected throughout the week will further compound these issues, while adding to the damage already incurred. (RELATED: Texas Wildfire Grows Overnight To Largest In State’s History)
Snow is removed as a blizzard hits Mammoth Lakes, California, on March 2, 2024. The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for California’s entire Sierra Nevada through early March 3, 2024. Forecaster report the storm could bring three to five inches (8 to 13cms) of snow per hour. (Photo by DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty Images)
SODA SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 04: A person walks at Boreal Mountain Resort, currently shuttered due to the snowstorm, following a massive snowstorm in the Sierra Nevada mountains on March 04, 2024 in Soda Springs, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Power lines throughout the region have been knocked out by fallen trees, with more than 40,000 homes and businesses being without power Sunday; at least 12,000 properties have had service restored at the time of writing, according to KYMA. A seemingly endless stream of semi-trucks were stranded in Donner Pass, but there’ve been no reports of cannibalism just yet.
Though I-80 was slowly reopened Monday morning, if more snow continues to hit this region, then the real impacts probably won’t be known until well into spring. And when that snow melts, the last thing Californians will be worried about is their drought.