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.

Life-threatening blizzard conditions were expected through Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service office in Reno, which issued a rare blizzard warning for this storm that will last through Sunday morning. The blizzard warning extends from Lassen Volcanic National Park in Shasta County to Kings Canyon National Park in Fresno County.

Blizzard warnings for the Sierra Nevada are issued only either once annually or once every other year.

Snow showers in the Sierra are expected to continue through Sunday and Monday, and there are more chances of snow on Wednesday.

"That break that we were expecting on Tuesday may not be so much of a break for the Sierra," the weather service office in Reno said. "The Sierra could see up to 6 inches of snow in the valleys, and up to another foot near the crest, between Tuesday and Wednesday." After that, "drier weather appears to return by Thursday and into the weekend," the weather service said.

Hundreds of customers in the Tahoe area were without power for at least some period of time late Friday and early Saturday, according to the Truckee Donner Public Utility District and Liberty Utilities.

...continued

©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.