The Blizzard of January 04, 2008

The localized flooding is what we are worrying about... our fence didn't stand up against the estimated 70 MPH wind gusts that hit today..but it could be worse...

Potential Record Snowfall in California...Prediction 6 feet of NEW Snow over the weekend...

Conditions in the Sierra are being reported all day one the radio and TV, but my source is my brother, who works for the Transportation Department has been working since last weekend readying snow removal equipment. He sent me this, which they get from the center in Sacramento and Reno:

NOAA
* BLIZZARD WARNING..........SNOW LEVELS WILL LOWER DOWN TO 2500 TO 3500 FEET BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON THEN LOWERING FURTHER ON SUNDAY TO 1500-2500 FEET. SEVERAL FEET OF NEW SNOW IS POSSIBLE OVER THE SIERRA CASCADE RANGE COMBINED WITH VERY STRONG WINDS AT TIMES IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY PERSIST THROUGH SUNDAY. SEVERAL INCHES OF RAIN ARE POSSIBLE IN THE VALLEY.
LOCALIZED FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE AT THE LOWER ELEVATIONS NEAR SMALL STREAMS AND URBAN AREAS. SHOWERS WILL LINGER INTO MONDAY AND THEN ANOTHER FRONTAL SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INLAND BY MIDWEEK BRINGING MORE RAIN.

This just in :

SACRAMENTO—Blizzard conditions prompted authorities to close Interstate 80 across the Sierra, the main east-west link between Northern California and Nevada.

The California Department of Transportation says the route is closed from Applegate, about 40 miles northeast of Sacramento, to the Nevada state line.

The Sierra Avalanche Center issued an extreme avalanche danger warning for the backcountry around Lake Tahoe due to the high hourly snowfall rates.

“They're predicting at least 6 inches an hour, which is two to three times as fast as normal up here,” said Andy Anderson, avalanche forecaster. “The danger is as high as it can get.”