Winter Weather Advisory Issued for Memorial Day in Northern California
Typically, Memorial Day sits as the ceremonial beginning of summer for Northern California. That won’t be the case this year.
Two weeks of storms, including a crazy tornado-like storm with golf ball-sized hail in Shasta county, will continue through Memorial Day as the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the mountains of NorCal. Snow will accumulate above 6,000 feet in Lassen, Tahoe and Mammoth.
The Memorial Day snow will be in addition to the nearly 3-feet of snow already seen in the NorCal mountains in May, a historic turnaround for a typically dry month. The snow has brought powder ski days to Tahoe, reclosed some of plowed roads in Lassen and has allowed Mammoth Mountain to stay open until August.
A snowy Memorial Day weekend here! #springskiingcapital #squawvalley pic.twitter.com/eYome3qMO7
— Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows (@squawalpine) May 26, 2019
Chain controls are expected in the Tahoe area, especially on Interstate 80 and Highway 50. Both roads had chain controls early Sunday morning, but were cleared in the afternoon. Check CalTrans conditions before traveling in the area.
🔗CHAINS: Kingvale(170) to Donner Lake(180) (04:20) pic.twitter.com/X9xsIqsClc
— Donner Traffic Cams (@DonnerCams) May 26, 2019
The NWS is also warning against lightning strikes and thunder during the storm:
Thunderstorms could be possible across portions of interior NorCal today. Remember, always take shelter if you hear thunder or see lightning! #cawx pic.twitter.com/BvaXXgIk2D
— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) May 26, 2019
What a wild May it’s been! Let’s hope June will have a sunnier outlook.
