With “heavy snow” predicted in several areas of the nation, the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued winter storm warnings in six states.
Warnings were issued as of Monday night for parts of California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and Idaho. In Colorado, where a NWS map showed stormy weather engulfing most of the state, the outlook was especially dire. In some places, many feet of snow were predicted.
On Tuesday evening, NWS issued warnings for high elevations above 10,000 feet in the eastern La Garita Mountains and eastern San Juan Mountains of Colorado through Thursday at 5 a.m. local time.
Additionally, up to 34 inches of snowfall are predicted for the western Mosquito Range and eastern Sawatch Mountains, which are located in western Chaffee County and are above 11,000 feet and 9,000 feet, respectively.
“Travel could be very difficult to impossible,” according to the NWS warning. “The hazardous conditions could impact the Tuesday morning and evening commutes. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches … If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.”
Additionally, a warning was issued for elevations above 10,000 feet in the Wet Mountains from Wednesday morning to Thursday morning, and a similar warning was set to go into effect for places above 11,000 feet in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains starting at 4 a.m. Tuesday and lasting until Thursday morning.
Residents of Palmer Ridge, the southern foothills, and the surrounding valleys were warned by Denver’s NWS station that “a significant winter storm” would affect them until Wednesday morning and might “impact holiday travel,” stating that “road closures and impassable roads are likely.”
Up until Wednesday night, a number of additional winter storm warnings were issued by the NWS office in Grand Junction, Colorado. These warnings were projected to affect cities such as Ridgway, Monticello, Aspen, Vail, Crested Butte, Rio Blanco, Columbine, and Telluride. Up to 36 inches of snow might fall.
The majority of California’s winter storm warnings were issued in the state’s eastern regions. Communities in California and Nevada, including Stateline, Markleeville, Tahoe City, Incline Village, Truckee, South Lake Tahoe, and Glenbrook, could receive up to two feet of snow until four in the morning on Wednesday, according to one released by the NWS Reno office.
A virtually identical warning remained in force until 10 a.m. Wednesday in Mono County, California. The cities of Lee Vining, Coleville, Mammoth Lakes, and Bridgeport were predicted to experience strong gusts and heavy snowfall that “could cause extensive damage to trees and power lines due to the expected heavy wet nature of the snow.”
A warning is in effect until 4 p.m. Wednesday for areas of Yosemite National Park and other elevations of the Sierra Nevada above 7,000 feet. It was predicted that snow will build up to five feet in certain locations and possibly seven feet at higher elevations.
Residents were cautioned that “roof damage is possible due to the weight of heavy snow.”
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Another winter storm warning was issued for Northern California’s Siskiyou County from Monday night until 4 a.m. Tuesday, affecting the cities of Mount Shasta, McCloud, and Dunsmuir. Up to 16 inches of snow and winds of up to 40 mph were predicted for the Eastern Sierra slopes of California, including the cities of Aspendell and Whitney Portal, until around 10 a.m. Wednesday.
The cities of Centennial and Albany, as well as the Sierra Madre and Snowy mountain ranges, were under a winter storm warning issued by the NWS office in Cheyenne, Wyoming. From Monday at midnight to Wednesday at 11 a.m., snowfall of up to 24 inches was predicted.
Up to one foot of snow was predicted to fall in the Bear River Range in Idaho, “including the cities of Emigration Summit,” until ten a.m. on Wednesday. A warning was issued to local residents that “roads will become slick and hazardous, and visibility will be poor at times.”
The western Uinta Mountains, Books Cliffs, Wasatch Mountain in Utah south of Interstate 80, and the towns of Scofield, Fish Lake, Mantua, Joes Valley, Indian Canyon, Cove Fort, Logan Summit, Brian Head, Mirror Lake Highway, Alta, Moon Lake, Brighton, and Alton were all under a warning until 5 p.m. on Wednesday. In certain places, up to 36 inches of snow were predicted.
