Winter Storm Watch: Up to 4-Feet of Snow Forecast for NorCal this Weekend

Lassen’s Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center

Christmas brought Northern California a hefty gift in 2018, delivering over a foot of snow over the Holidays. Now, after the beginning of the New Year, the first storm of 2019 will slam the NorCal mountains this weekend, with the potential of up to four feet of snow in certain areas.

For most areas over 3,500 feet, the storm is expected to bring about 12 to 24 inches of snow. But there is one NorCal location that is expected to get hit HARD. Take a look at the precipitation map from the National Weather Service:

Did you see it? The outlier is Lassen, which is forecast to see 36 to 48 inches of snow. Woah, nelly!

Meanwhile, the rest of the Sierra Nevada and Mount Shasta will see a healthy dose of at least a foot. The quick and heavy storm will provide snowpack to the NorCal mountains, which are surprisingly seeing below average snowpack so far this winter.

Of course, anyone planning on traveling in the high-elevation areas over the weekend should expect chain controls and travel delays, with dangerous winter conditions on the highways around Tahoe, Lassen and Mount Shasta.

For those in the valley, the storm will be a doozy, with a strong combination of rain and wind. Up to 2 inches of rain will fall in some areas, with many areas seeing 40 mph winds. The Bay Area is expected to see intense winds of up to 60 mph.

This winter storm may be uncomfortable for some, making travel in the area difficult, but it’s essential for snowpack and water storage in the area. What’s better? Another storm is scheduled to hit during the middle of next week.

Giddy up! The winter of 2019 is here!

Active NorCal

Telling the Stories of Northern California

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