Yosemite National Parks officials closed Tioga Pass on Thursday in preparation of the weekend storms. The decision to reopen the pass or leave it closed for the winter will be made next week after the storms pass.

Also,  CalTrans has closed Hwy 108, Sonora Pass.

...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH
LATE SATURDAY NIGHT FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 8000 FEET...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SACRAMENTO HAS ISSUED A WINTER
STORM WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH
LATE SATURDAY NIGHT.

...COLD AND WINTRY WEATHER TO RETURN TO THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS OF
THE SIERRA...

.A SERIES OF SYSTEMS WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TONIGHT
THROUGH THIS WEEKEND...BRINGING PERIODS OF RAIN AND HIGHER
ELEVATION SNOW TO THE SIERRA NEVADA. SNOW LEVELS WILL REMAIN ABOVE
8000 FEET THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...WITH ONLY LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS
EXPECTED OVER THE HIGHEST PEAKS AND PASSES. HOWEVER...A COLDER AND
STRONGER SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION ON SATURDAY...GRADUALLY
LOWERING SNOW LEVELS TO AROUND 6500 FEET BY SATURDAY NIGHT. THIS
EARLY SEASON STORM MAY BRING ENOUGH COLD AIR AND MOISTURE TO
PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL ABOVE THE 8000 FEET...AFFECTING SOME
OF THE HIGHER ELEVATION PASSES SUCH AS SONORA...EBBETS...AND
CARSON PASS. GUSTY WINDS WILL ALSO ACCOMPANY THIS SYSTEM...WITH
SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WIND GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH POSSIBLE.

Just read that the fall colors on the west side of Yosemite Valley are peaking right now and that there’s color throughout the valley. Looks like this weekend may be the time to go shoot there.

One the other hand though, a good sized storm is heading into the Sierra for the weekend. They are calling for 2-4 feet of snow above 10,000 feet! Snow levels start out high and gradualy drop over the weekend. This looks like a pretty big storm and most likey will close Tioga Pass for the season. The NWS is showing rain for Yosemite Valley until Sunday, then it turns to snow.

No winter storm watches or warnings are posted yet. But you can bet they will be by tomorrow.

With all of the nice weather the Sierra has had, let’s hope there aren’t to many hikers and climbers in the backcountry. This is the kind of storm that can keep search and rescue busy for awhile.

One of our friends here at SierraVisions has recently made the big move from Santa Cruz to Mono City on the shores of Mono Lake. Robin has been a long time reader and friend to SierraVisions. In fact, she won the first photo raffle a number of years ago.

Since moving to the Eastern Sierra, Robin has started a blog of her own.  It’s called Life on the Eastern Slope and tells her daily story of life in the mountains. Go check it out. She puts up lots of pictures and in yesterdays post made we hungry for some of the tostadas she made