Massive Winter Storm Expected

[Nancy OShea]

As a rule, the snow level in my area never drops much below 1500 ft level.  I can can count on 2 fingers the number of times it actually snowed here and it didn't last long.  A BLIZZARD warning in Southern California is a very rare event.

[SJRiegel]

Meanwhile, here in North Carolina we are scheulded to have one of the hottest February days on record. 

[Nancy OShea]

Relatives in New Jersey have had NO SNOW this season.  It's incredible.

[John T Smith]

Every morning while having coffee I check the weather forecast for the day... this morning it said 'scattered snow showers'

We now have about 6 inches of snow in Vancouver WA (across the river from Portland OR)

Added - 8 inches when it stopped last night and I went to bed, MAY have more today 2/23

[PaintedKitty]

Well that was fun. We had ice covered everything for Ash Wednesday. So no going to service that day. All night electricity fluctuated and arced outside all night. Lots of fun colours. Lots of people lost their electricity lots of limbs and trees down. One 13 year old in hospital. She's doing alright. Over all, we at home were pretty lucky.

[Nancy OShea]

Lots of gusty winds & rain here.  And it's really cold.  Our furnace has been running constantly.

[John T Smith]

>Our furnace has been running constantly.

Our 30 year old gas furnace has died, so we are running only on the heat pump and plug in heaters

At least when we remodeled a few years ago we had good/thick insulation added so the relatively small amount of warmth from the heat pump (and dressing warm, sometimes with a jacket inside) is keeping us going

New gas furnace is due to be installed Thursday

[Nancy OShea]

Brrrrrr....

[John T Smith]

New gas furnace was installed yesterday and I returned the plug in heaters borrowed from friends

New furnace is more efficient so our natural gas bill should go down

SO nice to have the entire house warm, not just 'spots' of warmth near the plug in heaters

[Jill_C]

And here in the SF Bay Area, specifically Redwood City on the peninsula, we had a power outage that lasted from mid-day Tuesday to Thursday evening due to windstorms that knocked over trees and took down power lines. Over 50 hours for me in the cold and dark. This is the longest power outage I've ever endured after living nearly 50 years here!

[Nancy OShea]

Another atmospheric river here only colder.

• We're in a flood watch (again). 
• Tornadoes have touched down in some areas. 
• The mountains have another 2 feet of snow so far; great skiing if you can get there.

[Nancy OShea]

We've had almost 5.5 inches of rain since yesterday.

Patio table & ratty door mat covered with weird white stuff. Not sure what to call it  -- slush/hail/graupel.

Glad I picked the citrus fruits when I did.  Ice and citrus don't mix except in a glass.  🙂

[Jill_C]

Wow, 5.5 inches in a day is a bit too much for the earth to absorb!

[Nancy OShea]

We're still under Flood Watch. And officially, our area received 1.5 inches of snow.

[Nancy OShea]

After a river of rain & freezing temperatures, we're still drying out from the deluge. The mountains all around us are covered in show-stopping snow.  It's a sight to see from below but many mountain residents have been stranded for several days.

Mountains behind Los Angeles (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

On the positive side, our drought situation is much better than it was.  When all this snowpack melts, it might be even better. 🙂

[Abambo]

It's better, but still critical. The groundwater level has dropped a lot because more and more water is being extracted. These English lawns should actually be gone.

[Nancy OShea]

California produces a lot of food & wine. That's where the lion's share of water goes. 

[Chuck Uebele]

Having now moved out of CA, I still see all my friends' post about the weather there. Really crazy!

[Nancy OShea]

It's getting dire for people stuck in area mountains above Los Angeles.  They've been trapped in cabins for several days with no way to dig themselves out.  Heavy equipment can't reach them until the snow plows cut through 10 ft walls of snow. And with food & wood supplies running out, people are desperate for rescue teams to reach them. 

Helicopter view over Lake Gregory area of Crestline

One guy couldn't wait any longer. He climbed out of his vacation rental cabin from an upstairs window. The snow was so high, he could touch the top of a power pole.  An elderly mountain resident  has been sleeping on her kitchen floor and using her gas stove to stay warm at night.  

The weight of the snow has caused widespread structural damage, too.  Big Bear, Arrowhead and Crestline are dotted with fallen trees & collapsed roofs.  And it's not over yet, more snow is on the way... 

[Jill_C]

Wow, hope they get to these people soon...

[Abambo]

Extreme weather is never good. I read that many weekenders were blocked with insufficient equipment and food.

[Nancy OShea]

As if the last two weeks of weather weren't epic enough, now we're bracing for another atmospheric river event that's expected to cause early snow melt and high potential for massive flooding in California.  It's one extreme storm after another and then another...

Big Sur, a scenic coastal community off Highway 1, is telling residents to prepare enough food, supplies & prescription meds for 2-3 weeks.  It could be that long before anyone can get in or out due to road closures.

[Nancy OShea]

What 50 feet of snow looks like in California.

Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort

And the atmospheric rivers just keep coming...

[Chuck Uebele]

That's just crazy! We used to have a small cabin, 50 miles south of Tahoe. I'm curious how it's holding up. The new owners put a new metal roof on, with hopefully has helped with all this snow. 

[Nancy OShea]

Yeah it's crazy.  Roads in & out of Tahoe are mostly closed. Yosemite is closed.   For everyone below, it's flooding and landslides. 

This is one of many red tagged homes in the OC.

March 15, 2023, San Clemente, CA