A powerful winter storm sweeping across California has prompted the National Weather Service to upgrade and extend Winter Storm Warnings across nine counties in Southern California, with forecasters warning of life-threatening travel conditions, extreme snowfall totals, and damaging winds through midweek.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), heavy snow and wind gusts exceeding 70 mph are expected in mountain regions stretching from the Tehachapi Mountains to the Sierra Nevada and into Mono and Inyo counties. The warnings remain in effect through Wednesday night or early Thursday morning, depending on location.
In Kern County, including the communities of Tehachapi and Frazier Park, the NWS Hanford office reported that additional snow accumulations could reach up to 26 inches, with wind gusts as high as 55 mph. “Travel could be very difficult to impossible,” the agency stated in its early Monday advisory, emphasizing that hazardous conditions may severely impact both morning and evening commutes.
Farther north and east, snowfall totals are expected to be significantly higher in elevated terrain. In the southern Sierra Nevada, including areas near Yosemite National Park and Kings Canyon National Park, forecasters predict 3 to 5 feet of snow above 6,000 feet, with isolated totals of 5 to 7 feet at the highest elevations. Winds in these areas may gust up to 60 mph, raising the risk of whiteout conditions and downed trees.
Mono County, including Mammoth Lakes and areas along U.S. Highway 395, faces another round of intense snowfall…