Snow blasts California and freezes Pacific Northwest

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SAN FRANCISCO – Blowing snowfall successful mountains of Northern California and Nevada closed cardinal highways implicit the weekend, portion an arctic blast brought frigid temperatures to the Pacific Northwest and unusually lukewarm upwind settled implicit parts of Texas and the Southeast.

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.

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.

Search and rescue crews are looking for a missing skier who was past seen Saturday greeting connected a assistance astatine the skis resort, KCRA reported.

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.

The National Weather Service said Seattle’s debased Sunday was 20 degrees F (-6.7 C), breaking a people acceptable successful 1948. Bellingham was 9 degrees F (-12. 8C), 3 degrees colder than the erstwhile grounds acceptable successful 1971.

State officials successful Oregon person declared an emergency. In Multnomah County – location to Portland — six terrible upwind shelters are unfastened with plans to unfastened further sites, including astatine the Oregon Convention Center. Seattle metropolis leaders besides opened astatine slightest six terrible upwind shelters starting Saturday done astatine slightest Wednesday.

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.

Interstate 80 remained closed owed to mediocre visibility and dense snowfall from the Nevada authorities enactment to Placer County, California. An avalanche blocked a authorities way that connects Tahoe City to immoderate skis resorts successful Olympic Valley and authorities urged motorists to debar nonessential travel.

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.

The storms that person been pummeling California and Nevada successful caller days besides brought rainfall and snowfall to Arizona. A grounds inch of rainfall successful 1 time was reported astatine the airdrome successful Phoenix Friday erstwhile 11 inches (28 centimeters) of snowfall fell astatine the Arizona Snowbowl skis edifice conscionable extracurricular Flagstaff. Another 6 inches (15 centimeters) of snowfall were recorded successful the 24 hours ending Monday morning.

More storms are expected to deed the godforsaken authorities starting Monday day and continuing passim the week.

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.

Heavy snowfall volition commencement winding down by Monday evening successful California’s Sierra Nevada and the country is expected to get a interruption from the acold drawback by Thursday, said Emily Heller, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Temperatures successful occidental Washington and Oregon aren’t forecast to emergence supra freezing until astatine slightest Thursday, and perchance not until the weekend, forecasters said.

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