Much of California on Monday was preparing to be hit by a powerful winter storm carrying treacherous thunderstorms, high winds and heavy snow in mountain areas.
Jacob Spender, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Sacramento, urged people to take precautions in the coming days, advising them to pack winter safety kits, especially if they plan to travel as winter storm warnings were in place from southwest Oregon to the Southern California border.
Forecasters said the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, northern Shasta County — including portions of Interstate 5 — and parts of the state’s Coast Range could see up to 8 feet of snow before the storm moves through late Wednesday…