‘Main journey impacts’ anticipated as winter storm watch issued for northern California

As folks journey for the vacation weekend, a lot of Northern California is underneath a winter storm watch, with communities bracing for a number of toes of snow.

The National Weather Service warned folks touring to and from the Sierra Nevada and its in style ski resorts to count on “major travel impacts” and to make use of “extreme caution.”

But there’s nonetheless time for folks to get to their locations for Presidents Day weekend.

Dakari Anderson, a National Weather Service meteorologist within the Sacramento workplace, advised The Associated Press that Saturday by way of Sunday morning goes to be the “best travel window” forward of the incoming chilly climate system.

While there was some snow earlier within the week, circumstances remained quiet on Saturday, Anderson stated. But issues are anticipated to choose up Sunday afternoon — with communities which might be located at elevations of three,000 to 4,000 toes (914 to 1,219 meters) anticipating to be blanketed with between 1 and a couple of toes (30 and 60 centimeters) of snow.

“Our highest (snow) accumulations are going to be in those kind of more hard-to-reach places, but we’re still going to see some of those heavier amounts in communities that are populated,” Anderson stated.

Communities in greater elevations may see rather more snow — probably 6 to eight toes (1.8 to 2.4 meters). Among them, Anderson stated, could also be Blue Canyon, a sparsely populated unincorporated group that sits at 4,695 toes (1,431 meters) of elevation and is about 51 miles (82 kilometers) west of Lake Tahoe.

The City of South Lake Tahoe posted on its Facebook web page warning residents that in the event that they drive on Monday they need to “expect delays, possible road closures, and whiteout conditions.”

The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office urged residents to reap the benefits of the clear climate Saturday and put together for the storm. “It has seemed ‘spring-like’ for a large part of 2026, but winter is set to show it’s not quite done yet,” the company posted on Facebook.

The winter occasion is anticipated to span a number of days and will additionally have an effect on parts of western Nevada and southern Oregon.

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