Around Mammoth Mountain in Mono County, peak winds clocked in at 114 mph Friday afternoon.

The record in California for the fastest wind gust verified by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was 199 mph on Feb. 20, 2017, at Ward Mountain, also known as Ward Peak, at Palisades Tahoe.

Forecasters urged people to stay where they are unless there’s an emergency, and warned that it could take time for plows to dig out communities. Meteorologists say the storm, which may dump up to 12 feet of snowfall in the highest elevations of California’s mightiest mountain range by Sunday, could result in one of the top 10 snowiest days of the central Sierra since 1970.

The crest of the Sierra overall is expected to get 6 to 10 feet of snow; Mammoth Lakes, 2 to 4 feet; and the Tahoe Basin, 3 to 6 feet. Snow could be falling at a rate of 1 to 6 inches per hour, the weather service said.

The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab by Saturday morning had received 3 feet of snow, and expected several more feet by Monday morning.

Mammoth’s ski resort forecast a high of 15 degrees Saturday and, besides the blizzard, forecast “thundersnow,” in which lightning can occur within a snowstorm.

“Light, fluffy snow will be easily blown around, creating whiteout conditions with near-zero visibility at times,” the weather service office in Reno said. For those who do venture out, “pack an emergency kit and prepare to be stranded in your vehicle for an extended period of time.”

Sierra ski resorts reported Friday being forced to close at least some sections of their mountains, or had to shut operations entirely, because of the intensity of the blizzard. It will take time to dig out chair lifts, they said.

Sophie Abadilla at Footloose Sports, a ski shop in Mammoth Lakes, said she had been forced to walk to work rather than drive because of the storm. Although the town usually quickly clears sidewalks during storms, she still had to trudge through more than a foot of snow, she said.

With the ski resort closed Saturday, the shop was busy with tourists, Abadilla said. “They say, ‘We’re tired of staying in our hotel room watching the same movies.’”

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