More snow coming to areas near Fresno already under emergency status from heavy storms
Trace amounts of snow are expected to get down to 1,300 feet Saturday evening and a much more substantial amount was forecast for higher elevations already pounded by snowfall in the Fresno area.
The National Weather Service in Hanford issued a Winter Storm Warning for the Sierra Nevada from Yosemite National Park to Sequoia National Park from Saturday afternoon through Sunday night.
The Sierra Nevada and large portions of the central San Joaquin Valley in the past 30 days have received double the normal amount of precipitation — both rain and snow — compared to a normal year. Some of the higher elevations were closer to 300%, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Gov. Gavin Newsom already proclaimed a state of emergency Wednesday in Madera, Mariposa and 11 other counties because of the winter storms that have battered mountain communities in California. Fresno County asked to be added the following day.
Many of those same areas are expected to get dusted with more snowfall this weekend.
Coarsegold and Mariposa could see about 3 inches while Oakhurst and Midpines could get double that, according to the service.
Fish Camp and the area around the southern entrance to Yosemite National Park are expected to get 2 to 3 feet, the service said.
A storm system will be responsible for snow in the Sierra Nevada and adjacent foothills Saturday afternoon through Sunday night. Here are elevation profile graphics for accumulating snow along Highway 41, Highway 140, and Highway 198. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/wcqsuWHHsH
— NWS Hanford (@NWSHanford) March 3, 2023
Officials at the park said earlier in the week there was already standing snow up to 15 feet in some areas. Yosemite has been closed since the weekend and there is not estimated date for re-opening.
The snowy conditions are much the same as elevations climb along Highway 198 to Sequoia.
Widespread power outages continue in Madera and Mariposa counties, where the infrastructure failed a week ago, according to Pacific Gas and Electric.
The weather is bound to lead to road closures and other delays, the service said. Travel at higher levels will be extremely difficult or impossible.
Highway 168 remained closed on Friday at the bottom of the four-lane section.
In the southern part of the San Joaquin Valley, routes to Interstate 5 (the Grapevine) and Highway 58 (Tehachapi Pass) have re-opened since being closed Wednesday.
Rain of a quarter- to a half-inch was forecast in the Fresno and the Valley mainly from late Saturday into Sunday morning. The weather will be drier closer to Bakersfield, forecasters say.
