Winter Storms Bring Warnings to 13 States, up to 36 Inches of Snow, Avalanche Concern
The West Coast is under a barrage of heavy rain and snow that comes after an unusually dry winter. While it's a welcomed relief for the water shed, the intense snowfall is causing significant problems with travel, among other issues.
"When this pattern finally wraps up late next week, parts of the Sierra Nevada will end up with 12-16 feet of snow," AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.
8 Skiers Killed in California Avalanche
Six skiers were initially rescued from an avalanche near Truckee, CA but nine remained missing as of Tuesday morning. The avalanche happened in the area of Castle Peak, a popular backcountry ski destination northwest of Lake Tahoe, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
"The six initially reported skiers who survived the avalanche have been successfully rescued this evening by search and rescue teams with varying injuries," the Nevada County Sheriff's Office said on social media. "Due to extreme weather conditions, it took several hours for rescue personnel to safely reach the skiers and transport them to safety where they were medically evaluated by Truckee Fire."
Two of the rescued skiers were transported to the hospital for treatment.
"It's in a tough area. It's just going to be slow going so we don't trigger any other avalanches, because that is definitely a possibility," Russell Greene, a captain with the sheriff’s office said, adding that the risk of another avalanche was significant enough that "we're hesitant to send anybody in on a snowmobile."
On Wednesday afternoon the Nevada County Sheriff's Office confirmed that eight of the nine missing skiers were found dead while one remains missing.
13 States Under Winter Weather Warning
Just a day after those nine skiers went missing, another winter storm is expected to hit California with another 36 inches of snow incoming, according to data from the National Weather Service, which offered winter storm warnings for 13 states.
Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming have all been issued with winter storm warnings with California, Oregon and Nevada expected to receive the brunt of the storm.
California: "Heavy snow with additional snow accumulations up to 1 foot between 1000 and 3000 feet, 2 to 3 feet above 3000 feet, and up to 4 feet at peaks. Light snowfall accumulations up to 2 inches below 1000 feet in Shasta and Tehama Counties. Winds gusting as high 45 to 55 mph," the forecast from the National Weather Service read.
Nevada: "Heavy snow. Additional snow accumulations of 1 to 2 feet. Up to an additional 3 feet over the highest peaks. Also, 3 to 6 inches of snow expected down to 3,000 feet and up to 3 inches down to 2,000 feet. Winds gusting as high as 50 mph," NWS' forecast read.
Oregon: "Additional snow accumulations 4 to 12 inches, except up to 20 inches for the high terrain. A majority of the snow is expected from Midnight to 8 AM PST on Thursday morning, with light snow showers then tapering off through the morning," NWS added.
New Snowfall Brings Updated Avalanche Risk
AccuWeather Meteorologist Alyssa Glenny offered a new warning regarding the incoming snowfall, which is expected to reach "up to a few feet" along the ridges and peaks of the mountains in Southern California, suggesting avalanches will be more prevalent given the new snow.
"Along with the obvious problems from heavy rates of snow will be the potential for avalanches through the passes and in the high country," she said.
The Sierra Avalanche Center issued a "high" avalanche warning for much of the greater Lake Tahoe area.
"Increased uncertainty exists with ongoing reactivity of these buried weak layers under this large storm snow load. The potential continues for large to very large avalanches occurring in the backcountry today. HIGH avalanche danger continues with travel in, near, or below avalanche terrain not recommended," it said.
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