A massive train of Pacific storms is currently hammering California, threatening to dump up to 16 feet of snow on the Sierra Nevada by the end of next week. The unrelenting weather pattern has already paralyzed travel across major mountain passes and triggered life-threatening conditions, including a backcountry avalanche that has left several people missing.
Road crews are struggling to keep up with snowfall rates that have reached 4 inches per hour at times. Interstate 80 over Donner Summit has faced repeated closures this week as officials deal with stranded motorists and whiteout conditions.
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Over the last 48 hours alone, parts of the northern and central Sierra have recorded between 50 and 65 inches of fresh powder. While the heavy accumulation is a welcome sight for the state’s long-term water reservoirs, the immediate impact is a logistical nightmare for transportation and emergency services.
The reach of the storm is expanding. Snow levels have dropped as low as 1,500 feet, bringing icy conditions to Southern California passes along I-5 and I-15.
While a brief lull on Wednesday may allow some highway cleanup, another wave of moisture is expected to pivot through the state on Thursday night. This will bring additional heavy bursts to the Siskiyous and the Southern California ranges, where ridges could see several more feet of accumulation.
The danger isn’t limited to the high peaks. In the lower elevations and coastal valleys, heavy rain has saturated the ground. Los Angeles has already received nearly double its average rainfall for this point in the year, leading to a heightened risk of flash flooding and mudslides. Experts warn that as more rain falls on already unstable hillsides, the potential for debris flows and road washouts increases significantly.
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Further north, the focus will shift toward Oregon and Washington this weekend. A “long train” of storms stretching across the North Pacific is expected to keep the moisture flowing through the end of February.
Meteorologists are also monitoring the potential for an atmospheric river next week—a narrow plume of intense tropical moisture—which could swing the heavy precipitation back down into central and southern parts of the state. For now, mountain travel remains highly discouraged as the state waits for this historic snowy stretch to break.
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