December Snow In Sierra Already Breaking Records, UC Researchers Say

DONNER PASS (AP/CBS13) – It has been a record-breaking period of snowfall for the Sierra Nevada, scientists say.

At Donner Pass successful the Sierra, officials with the University of California, Berkeley’s Central Sierra Snow Laboratory connected Monday said caller snowfall has smashed the snowiest December grounds of 179 inches (4.6 meters), acceptable successful 1970. The grounds is present 193.7 inches (4.9 meters) arsenic much snowfall is expected.

NEW DECEMBER RECORD: 193.7"

With a 24 hr authoritative #snow full of 38.9" astatine the lab, we person smashed the erstwhile grounds of 179" of snowfall successful December acceptable successful 1970!

Snow rates are inactive dense and we could adjacent interruption the 200" people today!#CAwx #CAwater pic.twitter.com/x9g6fRuzHQ

— UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab (@UCB_CSSL) December 27, 2021

READ MORE: Search On For Skier Who Went Missing At Northstar Resort On Christmas Day

The Northstar California Resort successful Truckee closed its upland operations connected Monday amid blizzard conditions. The skis edifice has received much than 6 feet (1.8 meters) of snowfall implicit the past 48 hours, according to the resort’s Facebook post.

The snowpack successful the Sierra was astatine dangerously debased levels aft caller weeks of adust upwind but the authorities Department of Water Resources reported connected Monday that the snowpack was betwixt 145% and 161% of mean crossed the scope with much snowfall expected.

In the Pacific Northwest, exigency warming shelters were opened passim occidental Washington and Oregon arsenic temperatures plunged into the teens and forecasters said an arctic blast would past for respective days. Sunday’s snowfall showers blew into the Pacific Northwest from the Gulf of Alaska, dumping up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) crossed the Seattle area.

More than a ft (0.3 meters) was reported adjacent Port Angeles crossed the Puget Sound connected the Olympic Peninsula. Portland, Oregon, besides received snowfall. Frigid temperatures successful the portion could necktie oregon interruption records successful the coming days.

In Nevada, freezing aerial and blinding snowfall blasted crossed the bluish portion of the authorities connected Monday, affecting question and business, closing Sierra Nevada road passes, delaying airdrome flights and shutting authorities offices.

READ MORE: I-80, Highway 50 Still Closed Through Sierra On Monday Due To Snow Problems

Interstate 80 remained closed owed to mediocre visibility and dense snowfall from the Nevada authorities enactment to Placer County, California.

Several flights were canceled oregon delayed astatine Reno-Tahoe International Airport and astatine Harry Reid International Airport successful Las Vegas, wherever skies were wide but adjacent mountains were capped by snow.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak ordered nonessential authorities workers different than nationalist information and corrections unit to stay location owed to the storm.

Weather and question advisories stretched to northeast Nevada and Elko owed to the anticipation of blowing and drifting snow.

Temperatures were unseasonably lukewarm successful parts of the Southern Plains, including successful Arkansas, wherever respective cities broke records connected Christmas Day for regular precocious temperatures.

But forecasters warned that terrible storms were imaginable midweek erstwhile a tempest strategy moves done the Deep South, with Alabama and Mississippi astatine top hazard for atrocious weather, according to the Storm Prediction Center successful Norman, Oklahoma.

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