Snow Wallops The Sierra As Cold Streak Continues In NorCal

SAN FRANCISCO — A weekend winter storm dumped more than a foot of snow over parts of the Sierra, and forecasters are tracking another system that could have major impacts in the mountains around mid-week.

At the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab, researchers Sunday morning reported 13.6 inches of snow fell in just 24 hours, bringing the total over two feet recorded at the Donner Pass facility over the last week. The lab said the boost helped propel the area to 51 percent of its median snowfall after a slow start to the season.

According to the National Weather Service's Sacramento office, the weekend storm proved to be a boon for Tahoe-area ski resorts, led by an 18-inch 24-hour snow total recorded at Sugar Bowl and 17 inches reported at Palisades Tahoe.

Forecasters are already looking ahead to the next storm due Wednesday, which could tack on more than a foot of snow in some areas of the Sierra. Forecasting major impacts, the weather service warned drivers to plan ahead for chain controls, poor visibility and potential closures in the mountains and to avoid travel if possible.

In the Bay Area, forecasters said the recent stretch of cold mornings, which brought frost to much of the region Monday, looked likely to continue through the end of the work week. The weather service said some clouds should help get things a little warmer Monday evening, leading to some light rain Tuesday.

Places like San Jose, Livermore and Napa could see more lows close to freezing Wednesday through Friday morning.

Forecasters are keeping a close eye on the possibility of "a more significant rain event" materializing at the end of the week, but noted the models have yet to reach on consensus on impacts.

"European and American ensemble models agree that an upper-level trough will come through western North America and set up in the Midwest by the weekend," NWS Bay Area wrote Monday. "That's around where the similarities end. European ensembles show the bulk of the precipitation heading for California, but the American ensembles focus more on the Pacific Northwest."

More details on potential rainstorms will be shared as the forecast evolves.