Sunday, February 26, 2023

Historic Winter Storm Shuts Down California Interstates, Leaves Tens Of Thousands Without Power

 Jan Wesner Childs and Eric Zerkel

Published: February 25, 2023




A​ historic winter storm continued to pound California Friday with feet of snow, blizzard conditions and snow falling in lower elevations than usual.

The weather stranded motorists, shut down interstates and left more than 120,000 power outages in its wake.

T​he storm, which has been named Winter Storm Piper by The Weather Channel, also packs a significant flood threat in coastal areas.

S​ee the full forecast for Piper here.

Here are our updates from Friday.

(​4:03 p.m. ET) Snow Coats Napa Vineyards

V​ideo posted to social media showed snow falling in Napa's iconic vineyards.

"​Not something we see everyday ... snow in Napa Valley!" read the post from Cultivar Wine.

(​3:42 p.m. ET) Piper Brings Snow, Wind And Even A Possible Tornado To California

Some notable stats from the storm so far, compiled by weather.com digital meteorologist Jonathan Belles:

-45 inches of snow at Soda Springs.

-About three feet of snow in Mount Shasta.

-​Wind gusts up to 86 mph at Magic Mountain.

-A possible tornado yesterday morning in the Los Angeles County community of Whittier. Later in the day, a blizzard warning was issued at the opposite end of the county.

(​2:05 p.m. ET) The Best Images From Winter Storm Piper

C​lick here or tap through our slideshow below to see the latest winter weather photos from California and the Pacific Northwest.

(​1:53 p.m. ET) Mountain Of Snow In Sierras

U​C-Berkeley's Sierra Snow Lab has received 45 inches of snow over the past three days.

"We're expecting another 7-14 (inches) today before a break in the snow tomorrow and then plenty more starting Sunday!" the lab tweeted.

(​11:17 a.m.) California Grapevine Remains Closed

Crews are working to clear ice and snow from the section of Interstate 5 between Bakersfield and Los Angeles known as the Grapevine, according to the California Highway Patrol. There is no estimated reopening time.

(​11:09 a.m. ET) Hundreds Of Thousands Without Power

M​ore than 128,000 power outages are being reported in California, according to PowerOutage.us. The highest concentration is in the northern part of the state including Humboldt, Butte, Mendocino, Lake, Tehama, Shasta and Napa counties.

Each power outage represents a utility customer account, which may include multiple people in a household or building.

(​10:59 a.m. ET) LA County Parks Closes Some Sites

A​ll Los Angeles County trails are closed today and Saturday due to the weather. Several other recreation areas including parks, lakes and nature centers are also closed.

Article imageA visitor stands on a snow-covered road while taking a selfie in the Angeles National Forest near La Canada Flintridge, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023.

(​10:49 a.m. ET) Tree Falls On Apartment Complex

A​ large tree fell on an apartment complex in San Luis Obispo, according to KSBY-TV. A wind advisory is in effect there until 4 p.m. local time. The area is also under a flood advisory.

(7:45 a.m. ET) 'Wow Factor' S​erious Snow In San Jose Foothills

T​his storm continues to produce snow at lower elevations than usual. This video shows serious accumulation in Santa Clara County just to the southwest of San Jose in the foothills, something weather.com senior meteorologist Jon Erdman said has a serious "wow factor."

(7:05 a.m. ET) D​rivers Stranded On Interstate 80, Road Closed

M​any drivers trying to beat the storm to reach Tahoe were stuck on a stretch of I-80 from Colfax, California, to the Nevada state line for hours when conditions deteriorated late Thursday.

T​he stretch of road runs through the Sierra Nevada Mountains on its way to Lake Tahoe and can close during winter storms, but the storm caused issues at lower elevations than usual.

D​rivers were forced to turn around in both directions when the road was eventually closed.

I​t was a similar story on Highway 50, where traffic was held due to crashes and bad conditions. Eventually, traffic was allowed to proceed.

I​nterstate 5 Closed In Two Parts Of California

S​tretches of Interstate 5 hundreds of miles away from each other are closed due to wintry conditions.

O​ne stretch of I-5 is closed between Los Angeles and Bakersfield, California, through the mountains.

T​he other is in Northern California, 10 miles north of Redding near Fawndale, California. There's no estimate on when the stretches of roadway will reopen.

S​now Or Graupel Dust Hollywood Sign

A​ light dusting of either snow or graupel was seen on the iconic Hollywood sign above the hills of Los Angeles.

T​he National Weather Service said the precipitation came down around 9:15 a.m. local time Thursday.

Here's a handy link if you're interested in learning more about what graupel is.

H​ail Hits Southern California

The storm isn't just producing winter weather. Social media lit up across Southern California with reports of hail Thursday.

S​enior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman explained how this was all possible in the middle of a winter storm.

"Despite temperatures near the ground being chilly, air several thousand feet above the ground was exceptionally cold," Erdman said. "That difference in temperature created the instability needed to generate showers and thundershowers, some of which contained hail."

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

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