Winter storm could bring another inch of rain to Valley floor, snow to Sierras
Rain and snow were falling again across California as the first of two new storms moves into the regions on Monday.
Blizzard warnings went into effect at 4 a.m. Monday and will last until Wednesday for much of the Sierra Nevada and parts of the foothills. Heavy snow and strong winds in the area will cause "white-out conditions," National Weather Service officials said.
Highways are likely to close again after reopening Sunday.
“Extremely dangerous and near to impossible mountain travel is expected,” the weather service’s Sacramento office warned.
In Tulare County, closer to home, the anticipated storms will bring periods of heavy rain, low elevation snow, and gusty winds through mid-week. There will be a short respite from the rain Thursday and Friday, but freezing conditions are in the forecast both mornings, NWS officials stated.
More wet weather is possible in the Central Valley going into the weekend, as well.
Rainfall from Monday through Wednesday is expected to range from a quarter-inch to around 1-inch in the Valley. Snow amounts in the Sierra Foothills are forecast to range from 6 inches to 3 feet of snow, depending on elevation.
The higher Sierra could see as much as 4 to 6 feet of snowfall, according to NWS.
The Generals Highway is closed above Hospital Rock with no access to the Giant Forest expected before Friday, national park officials stated. Chains could be required to enter, even when visiting the foothills at lower elevations.
Additionally, Highway 180 up to and through the Kings Canyon National Park also has heavy snow, and tire chains or cables are required. Park facilities and access to the General Grant Tree and snowplay areas could be closed or very limited in the next several days, depending on weather.
'A remarkable storm'
The snow won't sweep down to the edge of coastal cities as it did in recent days, but this week's forecast for Los Angeles does call for high temperatures in the low 50s — about 15 degrees below normal.
After fierce winds toppled trees and downed wires, about 65,000 utility customers remained without electricity statewide as of Sunday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us. The majority of the outages were in Los Angeles.
Days of downpours dumped almost 11 inches of rain in the Woodland Hills area of LA’s San Fernando Valley, while nearly 7 inches were reported in Beverly Hills.
In Valencia, north of LA, county officials said the heavy rains eroded an embankment at an RV park and swept multiple motorhomes into the Santa Clara River, with emergency video showing one of the vehicles toppled on its side. No one was reported injured.
Rare blizzard warnings for Southern California mountains and widespread flood watches ended late Saturday. But Interstate 5, the West Coast’s major north-south highway, was closed off and on due to heavy snow and ice in the Tejon Pass through the mountains north of Los Angeles. Emergency crews, meanwhile, worked to clear mountain roads east of LA of snow and ice.
“A remarkable storm the last few days with historic amounts of precip and snow down to elevations that rarely see snow,” forecasters with the weather service in Los Angeles wrote.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Winter storm could bring another inch of rain to Valley floor
