The initial snow advisory in California within nearly two decades might as well deliver a month's worth of precipitation.
"A winter weather warning is active for certain areas of the Sierra Nevadas surpassing 8,000 feet, where up to 4 inches of snow might accumulate tonight and tomorrow, as announced by the Weather Service station in Hanford.
Those exploring Yosemite National Park could experience snowfall during their journey. Up to 2 inches of snow could drop at Tuolumne Meadows and Tioga Pass, a major route in the park.
The last time a similar advisory was disseminated was a snow warning for Yosemite to Kings Canyon back in 2007.
Only five instances of September snowfall have been documented in Grant Grove, California, a location west of Kings Canyon National Park, and approximately 7,000 feet above sea level. The latest time this region experienced snowfall in September was in 1986.
This weather system will advance across the Intermountain West and into the Rockies on Tuesday. Between 1 and 1 inch of rain is anticipated in specific areas of Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, and northern California, with the possibility of 2 to 4 inches in isolated spots, continuing till Thursday.
Although these amounts might not appear significant, this period of the year is usually dry, so it will correspond to a month's worth of rainfall for locations like Reno, Boise, and Redding, California.
The extensive precipitation chances will also lead to significantly lower temperatures in the region over the coming days. Pockets of Oregon, California, Nevada, and Idaho will experience temperatures 15 to 20 degrees colder than the average, including Reno, Nevada; Medford, Oregon; and Bakersfield, Fresno, and Sacramento, California."
Visitors to Yosemite National Park should be prepared for potential snowfalls, as up to 2 inches might fall at Tuolumne Meadows and Tioga Pass. Due to this approaching weather system, the region will experience significantly lower temperatures over the next few days.
