The National Weather Service in Sacramento California has issued a very rare blizzard warning for the Sierra Nevada. Our team will be hunkered down inside our winter outpost at Donner Lake, just below Donner summit off of highway 80.
To see how rare the blizzard warning is, have a look at the NWS glossary for watches and warnings. Blizzard isn't even on the list.
While the storm is expected to dump between 5 & 8 feet of snow in the Sierras, the real issue will be the wind, which is expected to hit up to 145 mph on the ridges.
Winds along the California coast could be well over hurricane force. Rain of 2-10 inches is expected depending on whether you are on a hill or valley. Ocean swells are going to hit 30 ft.
As a previous weather forecaster put it, this is not your garden variety storm. The last time we had a storm this strong was 12-12-95 when the Victorian era San Francisco conservatory of flowers was destroyed and toppled thousands of trees along the coast and Golden Gate Park.
Stand by for reports from Biggest Room. If we have power, we'll update with eye witness reports from the Sierras.
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