Sorry about running late with these storm totals, but it was a busy weekend.

• Kirkwood: 42″
• Sierra at Tahoe: 21″
• Bear Valley: 27″
• Mammoth Mtn: 32 – 50″
• China Peak: 40″

The next storm to affect the Sierra will be moving in on Wednesday morning and should continue until Thursday morning. This storm isn’t quite as big as the last storm, but 1-2 feet of snow is still expected above 7000 ft. This will also be a warmer storm with snow levels above 5000 ft in the Northern Sierra and above 6000 ft in the Southern Sierra.

High winds of 30 – 40 mph will accompany this storm with gust over the ridge tops reaching 90 – 100 mph.

Winter Storm Watches have been issued for the Sierra through Thursday morning.

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Winter Storm Warnings are up for the entire Sierra Nevada through Saturday as a cold, powerful storm drops down from the north. Up to 4 ft of snow may fall over the higher elevations. This is a very cold storm that will have low snow levels. The Winter Storm Warnings stretch down into the foothills on the west side with 1-3 inches of snow expected below 1000 ft in elevation. It is possible that snow levels could reach the Central Valley floor by Saturday morning.

High winds will also be an issue with this storm. The combination of high winds and light, fluffy snow will create whiteout and blizzard conditions making travel in the mountains very hazardous if not impossible. Travel across the Sierra is not recommended.

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URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
317 PM PST WED FEB 23 2011

…ANOTHER COLD WINTER STORM TO IMPACT THE INTERIOR OF NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA THURSDAY AND INTO SATURDAY MORNING…

.ANOTHER COLD WINTER STORM FROM WESTERN CANADA WILL BRING VERY
LOW SNOW LEVELS TO THE REGION AND PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW TO THE
FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS. SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOWFALL ACCUMULATION
WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE NORTH END OF THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY WITH
FLURRIES POSSIBLE AT TIMES ELSEWHERE IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY.

TRAVEL OVER THE MOUNTAIN PASSES WILL BECOME VERY DANGEROUS DUE TO
HEAVY SNOW…STRONG WINDS AND POOR VISIBILITIES. TRAVEL DELAYS AND
ROAD CLOSURES ARE POSSIBLE. MOUNTAIN AND FOOTHILL RESIDENTS
SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF POWER OUTAGES.

SNOW OCCURRING AT LOWER ELEVATIONS WILL ALSO CAUSE TRAVEL
DIFFICULTIES.

CAZ067-241400-
/O.UPG.KSTO.WS.A.0003.110224T2000Z-110226T1200Z/
/O.NEW.KSTO.WW.Y.0051.110224T2100Z-110226T1200Z/
/O.NEW.KSTO.WS.W.0003.110224T2100Z-110226T1200Z/
MOTHERLODE-
INCLUDING THE CITY OF…GRASS VALLEY
317 PM PST WED FEB 23 2011

…WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THURSDAY TO 4 AM PST
SATURDAY ABOVE 2000 FEET…
…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THURSDAY TO 4 AM
PST SATURDAY BELOW 2000 FEET…
…WINTER STORM WATCH NO LONGER IN EFFECT…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SACRAMENTO HAS ISSUED A WINTER
STORM WARNING ABOVE 2000 FEET FOR HEAVY SNOW…AND IS IN EFFECT
FROM 1 PM THURSDAY TO 4 AM PST SATURDAY.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY BELOW 2000 FEET HAS ALSO BEEN ISSUED.
THIS WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY BELOW 2000 FEET IS FOR SNOW…AND
POSSIBLY BRIEF PERIODS OF FREEZING RAIN…AND IS IN EFFECT FROM 1
PM THURSDAY TO 4 AM PST SATURDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO
LONGER IN EFFECT.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: 1 TO 3 INCHES DOWN TO 1000 FEET…AND 4 TO 8
8 INCHES AROUND 2000 FEET ELEVATION AND A FOOT OR MORE AROUND
3000 FEET.

* ELEVATION: SNOW DOWN TO AROUND 1000 FEET…HEAVY SNOW ABOVE 2000
FEET.

* TIMING: LATE THURSDAY INTO EARLY SATURDAY MORNING.

* LOCATIONS INCLUDE: GRASS VALLEY…NEVADA CITY…SONORA…AUBURN.

* WINDS: SOUTHERLY 10 TO 20 MPH.

* IMPACTS: SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE AT
UNUSUALLY LOW ELEVATION. HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS
POSSIBLE. POSSIBLE POWER OUTAGES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW…
SLEET…AND ICE ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO
POSSIBLE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE.

While driving from Bishop to LA on our recent trip to California, we stopped at Red Rock Canyon State Park just north of Mojave. Those of you who drive Hwy 14 to the Eastern Sierra know Red Rock Canyon well. In all of the years I’ve been driving through the canyon, I’ve only stopped to photograph it one other time. Here are a few of the images I shot on this present trip.

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