Another cold storm expected to bring more rain and snow
A second winter storm to chill the Mother Lode this week was expected to bring more winds, rain, snow, and potential for more power outages to Calaveras and Tuolumne counties by Wednesday evening, followed by subfreezing temperatures for the Sonora area Thursday and Friday nights.
The approaching storm was expected to bring a half-inch to 1 inch more rain to Columbia, Sonora, and Jamestown by Thursday morning, as well as up to 2 more feet of snow to Carson, Ebbetts, and Sonora passes, with snow levels down to 2,500 feet possible.
A winter storm warning was in effect for the Central Sierra Nevada from 4 p.m. Wednesday to 10 a.m. Thursday, with overnight lows for Sonora in the mid-30s.
There was also a wind advisory through 10 p.m. Wednesday for gusts up to 30 miles per hour in the Sonora area and up to 50 mph at high, exposed locations like mountain ridges
and peaks.
More than 1,000 Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers in the Mother Lode were without power Wednesday afternoon as crews scrambled to restore electricity to customers between the two storms this week.
Outages in Calaveras and Tuolumne counties as of 2 p.m. Wednesday included 17 customers in Arnold; 741 in the Pinecrest area; 15 in Strawberry; 11 in Cold Springs; five in Long Barn; 20 in Mi-wuk Village; 31 in Twain Harte; 208 in Groveland; isolated outages in Burson, Murphys, and Camp Connell; and scattered outages in Sonora and Jamestown, said PG&E spokeswoman Jennifer Robison.
Restoration times were not available because of heavy snow, road closures, downed trees, and other access issues that were impeding PG&E crews trying to make repairs, Robison said.
The three-day storm that cleared out Tuesday boosted the Central Sierra’s water year precipitation to 11.9 inches since Oct. 1. That total, based on readings from stations including Calaveras Big Trees and Hetch Hetchy, was 135% of average for the date Dec. 15.
Rain totals for locations in Calaveras and Tuolumne counties from 8 a.m. Sunday to 8 a.m. Wednesday included 4.31 inches at Wilseyville; 3.95 at Sheep Ranch; 2.58 at Angels Camp; 2.42 inches at New Melones Dam; 2.69 at Columbia; 2.44 at Telegraph Hill north of Sonora; 2.65 inches south of Tuolumne township; 2.53 at Moccasin; and 3 inches at Groveland.
Snow total estimates for the three-day storm earlier this week included 5 to 6 feet at peaks and passes of the Central Sierra, said Katrina Hand, of the National Weather Service in Sacramento.
The weather was partly clear and sunny in downtown Sonora as of 2 p.m. Wednesday, with radar images showing the approaching storm moving west to east northeast north of the Mother Lode.
“Light snow showers at higher elevations are possible by early afternoon, with the bulk of the system arriving later this afternoon to this evening,” Sierra Littlefield, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Sacramento, said Wednesday. “Precipitation is expected to end by noon Friday, with most of the storm clearing out by then.”
Thursday night’s expected to be clear and cold with sub-freezing temps in the Sierra foothills, Friday could be sunny followed by patchy fog, and Saturday is supposed to be mostly sunny.