Much of Northern California is under a winter storm watch, and communities are bracing for several feet of snow.
The National Weather Service (NWS) warned people traveling to and from the Sierra Nevada and its popular ski resorts to expect “major travel impacts” and to use “extreme caution,” the AP reported.
But there’s still time for people to get to their destinations for Presidents’ Day weekend.
“Best Travel Window”
Dakari Anderson, a National Weather Service meteorologist in the Sacramento office, told The Associated Press that Saturday through Sunday morning will be the “best travel window” before the cold weather system arrives.
While some snow fell earlier in the week, conditions remained calm on Saturday, Anderson said.
The situation will worsen
But things are expected to pick up on Sunday afternoon – with communities located at elevations of 3,000 to 4,000 feet (914 to 1,219 meters) expecting to be covered in 1 to 2 feet (30 to 60 centimeters) of snow.
“Our highest (snow) accumulations will be in those hard-to-reach places, but we’ll still see some of those larger amounts in communities that are populated,” Anderson said.
Communities at higher elevations could see much more snow — perhaps 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 meters).
Among them, Anderson said, may be Blue Canyon, a sparsely populated unincorporated community that sits at an elevation of 4,695 feet (1,431 meters) and is about 82 kilometers west of Lake Tahoe.
The city of South Lake Tahoe posted a warning to residents on its Facebook page that if they drive Monday, they should “expect delays, possible road closures and blackout conditions.”
The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office urged residents to take advantage of Saturday’s clear weather to prepare for the storm. “It looked like ‘spring’ for most of 2026, but winter is set to show that it’s not quite over yet,” the agency said on Facebook.
The wintry event is expected to last several days and could also affect parts of western Nevada and southern Oregon.
Detailed weather warnings
A winter storm warning has been issued by the NWS for Sunday through Wednesday.
At 1:08 PM Saturday, NWS Medford OR issued a Winter Storm Warning in effect from 10:00 AM Sunday until 4:00 AM Wednesday for South Central Siskiyou County and North Central and Southeast Siskiyou County.
“Heavy snow is expected at elevations of 5,000 feet through Monday morning with accumulations of 8 to 12 inches expected. After a brief lull in precipitation Monday afternoon, snow levels will drop to about 2,000 feet overnight Monday into Tuesday and remain low through Thursday,” the NWS said.
“Additional snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches are expected with 1 to 2 feet expected above 5,000 feet. Winds gusting to 40 mph over high and exposed terrain,” the NWS added.
“Snow levels at 5,000 feet Sunday into Sunday evening are expected to drop to 4,500 feet Sunday night and then down to 4,000 feet Monday,” the company said.
Snow levels could drop as low as 2,000 feet by Tuesday morning overnight Monday into Tuesday.
“Travel may be very difficult to impossible. Hazardous conditions could affect the Monday morning and evening commute,” the NWS said.
“If you must travel, keep a flashlight, extra food and water in your car in case of emergency.”