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The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued winter weather warnings for parts of three states in the next few days, with travelers urged to exercise caution in the face of moderate to heavy snowfall.
Counties in Alaska, California and Nevada, especially mountainous areas, will see travelers struggling in their morning and evening commutes with blowing snow and gusty winds causing disruption. It comes as weather conditions improved in many other parts of the country that had been put under similar alerts towards the end of 2023.
In Alaska, the agency forecast blowing snow and gusty winds to make traveling hazardous in the Lower Kobuk Valley and the Baldwin Peninsula between Tuesday morning and Thursday evening, with the lowest visibility on the road forecast for Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday night.
A similar advisory is in place for other areas of the state, including Kivalina, Red Dog Dock, the Upper Kobuk Valleys, Eastern Norton Sound, Nulato Hills and St. Lawrence Island. The storm conditions are expected to improve earlier in the northern Seward Peninsula, which will no longer be under alert as of Wednesday night, while a winter storm watch has been canceled for the Bering Strait coast and the Yukon Delta coast.
Alaska's Central Brooks range can expect "dangerously cold wind chills as low as 50 below zero" between Tuesday night and Friday, with the NWS warning about the risk of frostbite occurring on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.
Parts of California, including the mountainous areas of San Bernardino County and Riverside County above 5,500 feet, will be under a winter weather advisory between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. PST on Wednesday, as the agency forecasts snowfall of up to 5 inches and gusty winds moving west at 20 to 35 mph.
The NWS recommends being careful as "the hazardous conditions could impact the evening commute" and gusty winds may bring down tree branches.
The mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, as well as the Santa Barbara County interior mountains, will be under a similar alert from 3 a.m. PST on Wednesday to 10 a.m. PST on Thursday, as snowfall of up to 6 inches is expected. There is the possibility of isolated amounts of up to 8 inches in higher parts of the mountains.
The agency warned residents to brace themselves for potential delays and closures along the road, as the I-5 near Tejon Pass could see snow, ice, and gusty winds causing disruption. The worst is expected between Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday night.
Parts of the Sierra Nevada above 4,000 feet will be under an alert from 10 a.m. PST on Tuesday until 4 a.m. PST on Thursday, with expected snowfall of up to 10 inches and winds gusting as high as 40 mph.
More bad news for travelers in California as interstate 80 over Donner Pass, Highway 50 over Echo Summit and Highway 88 over Carson Pass in the Western Plumas County, Lassen Park and West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada Counties will also be affected by heavy snowfall and gusty winds until Thursday morning.
In Nevada, the greater Lake Tahoe area and Mono County, including the cities of Mammoth Lakes, Lee Vining, Bridgeport and Coleville, will be under a winter weather alert between Tuesday night and Thursday morning as snowfall and gusty winds are expected to impact the morning and evening commutes. Rough waters are expected for Lake Tahoe between Tuesday and Wednesday.
About the writer
Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more