Travel in Sierra discouraged as storm nears

A major storm headed toward Northern California on Tuesday prompted weather officials to issue a winter storm warning for a large swath of the Sierra Nevada, where peaks are expected to see gusty winds and heavy amounts of snow overnight.

The warning, in effect from 7 p.m. Tuesday through 10 p.m. Wednesday, is for the western portion of the northern Sierra, as well as Western Plumas County and the Lassen Volcanic National Park area, according to the National Weather Service.

Those areas are expected to see up to 29 inches of snow over that time frame, with the heaviest snowfall landing between 9 p.m.

Tuesday and 4 a.m. Wednesday, said Katrina Hand, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

The Lake Tahoe area is under a winter weather advisory, with the most severe storm impacts expected to the west.

Officials at the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that they are expecting 8 to 16 inches of snow. “We’re keeping an eye on potentially similar storm this weekend,” the Soda Springs-based group tweeted.

Hand said some of the highest peaks, like Mount Lassen, could see up to 2 feet of snow.

One to 2 inches of snow per hour could also fall on some of the area’s major highways, such as Interstate 80 and Highway 50, causing traffic delays and other dangerous driving conditions, she added.

“Mountain travel is strongly discouraged,” Hand said.

“Make sure you are ready for snow if traveling through the mountains,” the California Department of Transportation tweeted Tuesday.

Gusty southerly winds as high as 45 mph could also develop Tuesday into Wednesday, she said.

A break from winter conditions is expected Thursday and Friday morning before another storm hits the region on Saturday.