Heavy Snow — West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada, California

2009-12-06 to 2009-12-07 · West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada, California

Event narrative

Heavy snow fell in the northern Sierra Nevada Mountains, with up to 3 feet of accumulation. Thirty six inches of snow were recorded at Lake Alpine, 35 inches recorded 10 miles west of Soda Springs, and 21 inches at Pacific House.

The heavy snow along with gusty winds produced hazardous road conditions over the Sierra Nevada passes. There were temporary road closures on long stretches of Interstate 80 and Highway 50 due to low snow levels.

Wider weather episode

A cold storm system dropped southward over interior Northern California, bringing heavy snow to the northern Sierra Nevada Mountains and locally significant accumulations down onto the Central Valley floor.

Widespread and numerous car accidents, power outages, and school closures resulted from the storm and large stretches of roads and highways were impacted by the low level snow, with many closures and long delays.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 205823. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.