Whiteout in the Sierras

     Above is a picture of what it looked like the last time the Sierras got almost 12 feet of snow

The Sierra Nevada mountain range has always been known for its unbelievable lakes, and breathtaking views, along with its world-class skiing and along with that its snow. It is also known for the abominable amounts of snow it sporadically gets during its blizzards and this one is no different. The northern tier of the mountain range is expecting up to 12 feet of snow in some places this weekend during this next life-threatening blizzard to hit the range according to an article titled, 'Life Threatening' blizzard bears down Sierras; 12 feet of snow possible, written by Matthew Cappucci and Diana Leonard of the Washington Post, the storm is supposed to drop 5-12 feet of snow along with 55 mile per hour winds to go along with that. But why do these storms happen and why are they always so destructive and have so much force to drop such a staggering amount of snow in such a short time? 

The reason for this storm that is occurring this weekend is a persistent wave of Pacific moisture that is getting moved ashore by a slowly moving upper-level air disturbance. This storm is coming exactly a year after the last massive snow event in the Sierras which dropped feet of snow on the mountain range but this storm is going to be heavier and carry a lot more snow. This storm is somewhat unique though in the way it is being set up. In terms of moisture, this setup is considerably tamer than what you would expect from a system like this. The humidity levels are going to be lower which is why flooding isn't expected for much of the foothills. The driving force for this storm instead is going to be a consistent flow of moisture as I mentioned earlier that is moving around an area of low pressure at high altitudes.  Around this a jet stream will act as a driving agent of this moisture helping it funnel into the mountains which is where the snow will end up coming from, this jet stream will be moving so quickly though that it will constantly be replenishing the moisture which is what will lead to the consistency of the storm. 

This storm will be welcomed into the Sierras with open arms though as the Sierra snowpack serves as a significant water source for Californians and this year the snowpack has been running a bit below average. Statewide this year on January 1st the snowpack was measured at 28%, now because of some smaller storms that have hit the state it is at 82% and climbing.  This is just another example though of El Nino storms targeting the California coast though as the state has seen double their average rainfall this year because of these storms along with damaging floods and mudslides. But this storm isn't looking to be the end of the snowy season in the Sierras as according to the same article written by the Washington Post the snowy pattern should continue into mid-march and the snowpack should peak around April 1st. 

Source: Cappucci, M.  Blizzard warning for Sierra Nevada as California storm closes in ... https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/02/28/sierra-nevada-blizzard-warning-snow/