Winter storms hit Tulare County, California

Sheyanne N Romero, Visalia Times-Delta
·2 min read
Lilah Florez, 6, catches up Amber Hinson of Visalia during Tuesday's brief rain in Downtown Visalia.
Lilah Florez, 6, catches up Amber Hinson of Visalia during Tuesday's brief rain in Downtown Visalia.

It's time to pull out the sweaters and jackets, California experienced its first winter storm of the season.

With the calendar still saying autumn, winter storm warnings went into effect in much of the Sierra Nevada. Most of this snow fell Wednesday afternoon.

Throughout the state, forecasters advised against mountain travel due to expected deteriorating conditions.

"… motorists should prepare for slick, icy roads and the possibility of travel delays [Wednesday] and Thursday morning," NWS officials stated in Wednesday's forecast discussion.

The California Highway Patrol office at Truckee, in the Sierra north of Lake Tahoe, said drivers should expect chain controls and delays due to the first significant snow of the season.

Ebbetts, Sonora and Monitor passes were closed in anticipation of the storm, the California Department of Transportation said. Tioga Road through Yosemite National Park also was closed.

The weather service said the heaviest precipitation was expected in Northern California, with lighter totals across Southern California.

Roughly an inch of snow was expected along Interstate 5 over Tejon Pass and along Highway 58 over Tehachapi Pass through Thursday morning.

Closer to home, National Weather Service officials predicted that by Thursday Visalia could get .01-inch of rainfall. Foothill communities could see as much as a quarter inch of rain.

A stronger winter storm is just around the corner, which could bring more rainfall to the Central Valley.

“While much needed, this precipitation will not make much of a dent in the extreme to exceptional drought that continues to plague much of California,” forecasters wrote.

Ahead of next week's storm, temperatures could drop into the mid-30s in the San Joaquin Valley, leading to the possibility of patchy frost.

Five-day forecast

Most pedestrians seemed unfazed Tuesday, November 1, 2022 by the brief rain in Downtown Visalia.
Most pedestrians seemed unfazed Tuesday, November 1, 2022 by the brief rain in Downtown Visalia.

  • Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 54 and a low around 38 degrees.

  • Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60 and a low around 40 degrees.

  • Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 63 and a low around 45 degrees.

  • Sunday: A 20% chance of rain before 11 a.m., with a high near 65 degrees. There is a 40% chance of rain as night falls, with a low around 48 degrees.

  • Monday: A 50% chance of rain, with a high near 59. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph. New rainfall amounts between a 10th- and quarter-inch is possible. There is a 40% chance of rain in the evening, with a low around 43 degrees.

  • Tuesday: There is a 40% chance of rain, with a high near 58 degrees.

Associated Press contributed to this report.

Sheyanne Romero is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network and Visalia Times-Delta. 

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Winter storms hit Tulare County, California