California Map Shows Areas Getting Snow As Winter Weather Alert Issued

Several California counties are expecting more than an inch of snow this week and into the weekend, according to forecasts from National Weather Service (NWS) offices across the state.

A storm will bring several inches to high-elevation areas in northern California beginning Wednesday night. The Sacramento NWS office has issued a winter weather advisory, with snow falling through Thursday evening in Burney Basin, eastern Shasta County, parts of the Sierra Nevada mountains, and western Plumas and Lassen Park counties.

A storm also will bring snowfall to higher elevations further south, and widespread rain across lower elevations, according to the NWS office in Hanford. NWS lead forecaster Andrew Bollenbacher told Newsweek that the is typical for this time of year, though it might have some impact on high-elevation roads near Yosemite National Park.

According to data from the NWS, at least 6 inches of snow is expected across high-elevation areas in Mariposa County and Tuolumne County.

"Snowfall totals are looking to be higher in the northern portions of Yosemite National Park in Tuolumne County and Mariposa County," Bollenbacher told Newsweek.

Lower snowfall totals will spread further south, with an inch or more expected in Madera, Fresno and Tulare counties. Madera County could see as much as 4 inches, he said.

"That's usually how these things go. The system comes through with higher totals further north in Yosemite National Park," he said.

Snowfall totals decrease further south, with Kern County unlikely to see any.

Snow-covered peaks after a series of atmospheric river storms brought heavy snowfall on January 22, 2023, near Bishop, California. Some high-elevation areas in the Sierra Nevada mountains are expecting snow later this week. Mario Tama/Getty

Most of the snow will fall on Saturday, Bollenbacher said. He added that since the forecast has been advertised well in advance, there likely won't be any surprise impact from the storm, but some high-elevation roads could close for the winter season.

The NWS office in Hanford has yet to issue an official winter weather watch for the storm, but the alert could be issued on Wednesday or Thursday.

"Heed all road closures if you do encounter one," Bollenbacher said.

In addition to snow, some lower-elevation areas can expect rain related to the system.

"The same storm system is expected to bring more substantial rainfall to the Sierra Foothills and the San Joaquin Valley over the weekend, mostly on Saturday," NWS Hanford posted on X. "This video shows the probabilities for a quarter of an inch of rain over the duration of the system."

Wintry weather is impacting several other states as well, with a winter storm warning issued for Oregon, Wyoming and South Dakota, and a winter weather advisory issued for Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, South Dakota and Colorado. Various freeze watches also are in place, warning people of low temperatures.