WEATHER ALERT: All you need to know about West Coast storm that could bring 3 inches of snow PER HOUR
SACRAMENTO, CALIFRONIA: As winter storms sweep through the region, more than 10 million people in at least nine western states, including Seattle and Salt Lake City, are on high alert. Up to 30 inches of snow is anticipated to fall on the dry Sierras, making driving "difficult to impossible."
"Back-to-back winter storms will bring periods of very difficult to impossible travel over Sierra passes through Sunday," the National Weather Service office in Reno warned. Most regions should get less snow and rain on Friday before the next storm system arrives late Saturday or early Sunday. Snowfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour are possible early Friday. This, along with strong winds, could result in near-whiteout conditions, according to CNN.
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All you need to know about the winter season
NWS office in Portland said, "Today is the first day of meteorological winter, and it sure feels like it across the Pacific Northwest." While over 3 feet of snow is expected in California, 1 to 2 feet of snow is expected across the Rockies in areas such as Montana, Utah, and Colorado's mountains. Rainfall around the coast might total four inches.
What places will be expecting snowfall?
Rain and snow will fall in cities such as Seattle and Portland. While this will reduce the amount of snow on the ground, it will still cause travel issues due to mushy roadways, and below-freezing temperatures will create areas of black ice. In Seattle, only 1 to 2 inches of snow are expected until Saturday, with a winter weather advisory in effect until Friday evening.
This would be a significant and unusual snowfall for Seattle, which gets the same amount of snow every year (3.8 inches) as Little Rock, Arkansas. With this early winter storm, Seattle might receive more than half of its average yearly snowfall. Snowfall totals of 1 to 3 inches and 3 to 6 inches, respectively, are anticipated for Billings and Missoula, Montana.
Salt Lake City will also receive a few inches in the city proper, 2 two to 5 inches expected. However, those totals will be closer to 1 foot in the mountains, including Park City. Skiers in Aspen, Colorado, which is also under an avalanche warning until Saturday AM, can expect 5 to 10 inches of snow.
The heaviest amount of snowfall in these places
The Sierra Mountain Range is predicted to get the heaviest amounts, with Mammoth Mountain and Mount Shasta receiving 20 to 30 inches of precipitation. The NWS office in Reno is recommending folks to avoid any unnecessary travel during high-impact periods because of this.
The lowlands of California are predicted to receive a lot of rain
According to the FOX Forecast Center, many inches of rain are expected in the lowlands of California close to the ocean and the Mexican border. The Northern California coast is expected to receive the highest accumulations from late Friday through early Saturday, ranging from 2 to 4 inches, with isolated totals of up to 7 inches in the northern coastal hills. Flash floods might occur as a result of rainfall rates as high as half an inch per hour, especially in places with recent burn scars. On Saturday, wind gusts might reach 50 mph, as per reports.