‘Travel impossible’: Blizzard to drop up to 12 feet of snow on California’s Sierra Nevada

Forecasters are asking drivers to avoid travel as a serious winter storm is expected to drop up to 12 feet of snow on California’s Sierra Nevada this weekend.

“Powerful Blizzard” To Make Travel “Impossible”

The National Weather Service (NWS) predicts a “powerful blizzard in the Sierra Nevada through this weekend.”

From NWS:

“A significant winter storm will impact much of the West heading into the weekend, including dangerous, blizzard conditions for the Sierra Nevada … Snow totals locally as much as 12″+ are forecast through Sunday morning. In addition, widespread damaging wind gusts of 55+ mph are forecast across much of the region, with even stronger gusts of 75+ mph for higher elevations, leading to the risk of downed trees and power lines. The most intense combination of snow and wind will come together over the Sierra Nevada, where a powerful blizzard is expected. Extreme snowfall totals of 5-12 feet (locally even higher) are forecast through the weekend, with high snow rates and winds leading to blowing/drifting snow and whiteout conditions, making travel impossible.”

CHP: Avoid Travel in the Sierras

The California Highway Patrol is advising drivers to avoid all travel in the Sierra Nevada region due to the severity of the blizzard.