Winter is Coming: First Storm of the Season Could Bring a Foot of Snow to NorCal Mountains
The winter is approaching in the mountains of Northern California, with forecasts calling for the first dusting of snow throughout the high elevation areas. Is this the first sign of a wet winter in NorCal?
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for areas of NorCal this weekend, with snow predicted to fall from the high elevation areas of Mount Shasta down through Lassen Volcanic National Park and all the way down the Sierra Nevada. Snow is expected to fall down to 2,500 feet, with 3 inches to a foot accumulated between Friday and Sunday.
At lower elevations, up to a half an inch of rain is expected to fall on areas of NorCal:
The original forecast of the storm was calling on just inches to fall on the mountains, but has since been upgraded to a significant storm over the Sierra.
Hey everybody! Out here in Northern California we are getting ready for our first storm of the season. Cooler with rain and solid snow on the way Friday afternoon to Sunday. #wxforce10 #MorningBlend10 pic.twitter.com/b9fyjAE2ge
— Rob Carlmark (@rcarlmark) November 5, 2020
This may begin winter operations for parks in the area, like Lassen and Yosemite, as well as allow ski resorts to begin winter operations. Most importantly, it will help any fire suppression in the state, as fires like the August Complex continue to burn at a historic rate.
Has winter arrived in Northern California? We hope so!
