Yikes! Snow Expected Earlier, Falling Lower as Major Winter Storm Hits Interior Humboldt and Beyond Tonight
The National Weather Service has revised their forecast for the coming days. A major winter storm is now expected to arrive sooner than previously forecast and bring snow to lower elevations across Northern California.
Forecasters say a storm will begin moving into the Humboldt County interior on Monday night, with the heaviest snowfall expected late Monday through Tuesday morning. Snow levels are expected to drop rapidly during the event, potentially reaching as low as 1,500 feet in some areas.
A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect from 7 p.m. Monday through 4 p.m. Wednesday for interior portions of Humboldt and Del Norte counties, including Berry Summit along Highway 299, the Collier Tunnel on Highway 199, Bald Hills Road, and the Dinsmore area. Snow accumulations between 6 and 16 inches are expected above 2,000 feet, with winds gusting up to 45 mph.
The National Weather Service says, “Travel could be very difficult to impossible” in some areas. Road closures are possible.
Tire chains will likely be required when traveling through mountainous areas. Chain controls are already in place on Highway 36 from Mad River to five miles west of Forest Glen, where winter driving conditions have begun to develop.
Along the coast in Humboldt and Del Norte counties, a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 10 p.m. Monday through 7 a.m. Wednesday. Instead of snow, forecasters warn that small hail showers could accumulate quickly on roadways, creating slick “ice-rink” conditions that may affect both the Tuesday morning and evening commutes.
Another Winter Weather Advisory covers northern Mendocino and Lake counties, where snow is possible above 2,500 feet from Monday night through Wednesday afternoon. The NWS warns, “There is still quite a bit of uncertainty on how low the snow levels will get. Tuesday morning there may be snow at Lake level in Lake county. Highway 101 may see snow, especially north of Ukiah.”
In addition to snow and hail, widespread rain could increase the risk of rockslides in steep terrain, and colder temperatures are expected to persist through at least Wednesday.
Travelers should monitor conditions closely and prepare for problems related to snow and rain across the region. The National Weather Service urges, “If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. “
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I’ll probably put everything off that I have to do up in Weaverville & Willow Creek this week. Stick to the coast. Watch out for rocks on the roadway as well everybody!
Watch the coastal people play bumper cars. Expect Mail and packages to be delayed.
Not everyone that lives on the coast is dumb enough to play bumper cars when the higher elevation highways are covered in snow and ice. Unless there is a full road closure, the mail and packages should arrive at their expected times. I got several packages today that came in from Oregon.
Just startin’ to snow up in Orygun.
Flakes falling in Eugene/Springfield.
Last check from people travelling said that 199 at the border is wet and clear and no snow yet at Siskyou summit but that’ll change very soon. Also no mail. Federal holiday.
Everyone be careful out there.
With that said, I’m praying for snow. We had one heck of a fun morning sledding down Del Norte sidewalk alongside Eureka High School in Feb of ’23, or was it ’24. I’ve been warning my boss for a decade now that if Buhne between S St and Harrison gets snow, I’ll be taking a snow day, or at least coming in late. I’ve already got the metal snow disk rubbed down with a generous coat of the ol’ Griswold grease.
Happy sledding. Oh, and, be careful out there.
What part(s) of US 199 Between I5 and US 101 are most likely to be closed or tough to drive when the weather gets intense like this?
Lots of parts are above predicted snow level. Somebody else may have more specific info. Also try Cal Trans website.
Thank you.
The parts with lots of ice and snow? I dunno just a guess.
We’re getting ready.
When the forecast says snow down to 1,500 feet, it usually means us, even though the topographical maps show us at 800 feet above sea level. Don’t know why.
We’re getting in last minute things from the grocery and have checked propane bottles for the camp stove.
The first real storm of the year.
A YouTube video last summer said we’d have a warm and dry winter, and they were right.
Good time to check your generator and make sure you have fuel.
We bought a hybrid, petrol or propane generator and hooked it up to a large propane tank. It could probably last a couple of weeks if needed. I learned my lesson a few years ago when we had that really bad storm. We were snowed in and the power was out for eight days.
We had a gas generator which quickly used the ten gallons of gas on hand and the driveway and dirt road were so snowed in that we couldn’t get out. We froze. It was horrible.
That’s when we switched to propane.
We have six month old kittens that have never seen snow. It should be fun!