Western US to close 2021 with record cold and feet of snow
By
Brandon Buckingham, AccuWeather Meteorologist
Published Dec 26, 2021 2:18 PM EDT
|
Updated Dec 28, 2021 1:38 PM EDT
On Dec. 25, the rocket carrying the James Webb Telescope took off from Kourou, French Guiana. The telescope is the successor to the Hubble Telescope, a huge step towards understanding the universe.
The onslaught of storms that have marched into the western United States has undoubtedly created headaches for travelers and residents at times, but it has also proven to be very beneficial in building up an expansive snowpack across most mountain ranges in the region. Through the final week of 2021, the cold and unsettled weather regime is expected to continue.
The stormy pattern across California has been a blessing for easing drought concerns so far this fall and winter, with the entire Sierra Nevada Mountain Range now running above historical snowpack averages. With consistently cold conditions slated to remain anchored over the mountains, those numbers will continue to rise as the calendar turns to 2022.
Estimated snow cover over much of the Sierra Nevada is now exceeding 5 feet with the snow depth topping 10 feet over portions of the high country as of Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. (NOAA/USDA Forestry Service)
Reservoir levels across the lower terrain and foothills of California have also continued to experience an uptick in water levels, as consistently stormy weather has bumped levels upward.
Farther north across Washington's Cascade Mountain Range, most basins are within 10-20% of their historical snow water equivalent at this point in the season.
While the consistently unsettled weather regime has greatly benefited the mountain ranges, it has also resulted in numerous weather-related headaches for residents that reside at lower elevations.
Both Los Angeles and San Francisco have observed over 200% of average rainfall so far this month, resulting in episodes of flash flooding and travel nightmares at times. Through Dec. 27, San Francisco has had 15 days with measurable precipitation, tallying up a whopping 8.99 inches.
Across the Southwest, places like Flagstaff and Phoenix, Arizona, have experienced their fair share of wet weather as well, as both cities observed an inch or more of precipitation on Christmas Eve.
Record-challenging cold weather will remain in place across the Northwest early this week, resulting in impressively low snow levels. In some locales Sunday morning, snow was reported down to sea level in Washington.
Heavy snow was reported in the Seattle metropolitan area during the pre-dawn hours on Sunday and snow continued throughout much of the day.
Snow dealt a severe blow to operations at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Sunday. At one point Sunday afternoon, more than 360 flight delays and almost 290 cancellations were reported as crews worked around the clock to clear runways and deice aircraft.
"Snow totals for the Seattle area ended up being generally on the order of 2-4 inches on Sunday, with northern areas experiencing locally higher accumulations," AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert said.
The Emerald City averages around 6.8 inches of snowfall per year.
Snow levels fell throughout the day on Monday and Monday night across Central and Northern California from around 2,000 feet. The snow caused power outages across portions of California, including Nevada City. The heavy snowfall there knocked trees into power lines, leaving homes and businesses without power.
Looking ahead, there's more on the way across the West.
"The heavy snow will continue to create travel and logistical challenges across the passes as this will lead to another round of pass closures and the need for chains on most vehicles. This includes those who are traveling back from the holidays or are traveling to the ski resorts," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys explained.
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The active pattern will continue with another storm moving southward through Oregon and California into Tuesday night. With cold air once again in place, impressively low snow levels are expected. The storm managed to unload a fresh 1-3 inches of snow on the Portland, Oregon, area into Tuesday morning.
The same storm will drop across Southern California on Wednesday with 1-4 inches of rain, increasing the likelihood of flash urban flooding and the potential for mudslides, especially in recent burn scar locations.
Another storm will bring additional accumulating snow to Seattle and Portland from late Wednesday night to Thursday evening forecasters say.
While the cold and snowy pattern has ski-lovers jumping for joy, the fresh powder will come along with hidden dangers. A major risk for avalanches is expected as a result of the rounds of snowfall across the mountainous terrain. For the thrill-seekers looking to get out into the back country, this is risk is especially dangerous and proper precautions should be exercised.
From midweek into the upcoming weekend, the storm slated to bring another round of wet and snowy weather is expected to pivot southward along the West Coast, bringing a renewed threat across the lower terrain for flooding to California and the Southwest as well as feet of snow in the mountainous terrain.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Winter Weather
Western US to close 2021 with record cold and feet of snow
By Brandon Buckingham, AccuWeather Meteorologist
Published Dec 26, 2021 2:18 PM EDT | Updated Dec 28, 2021 1:38 PM EDT
On Dec. 25, the rocket carrying the James Webb Telescope took off from Kourou, French Guiana. The telescope is the successor to the Hubble Telescope, a huge step towards understanding the universe.
The onslaught of storms that have marched into the western United States has undoubtedly created headaches for travelers and residents at times, but it has also proven to be very beneficial in building up an expansive snowpack across most mountain ranges in the region. Through the final week of 2021, the cold and unsettled weather regime is expected to continue.
The stormy pattern across California has been a blessing for easing drought concerns so far this fall and winter, with the entire Sierra Nevada Mountain Range now running above historical snowpack averages. With consistently cold conditions slated to remain anchored over the mountains, those numbers will continue to rise as the calendar turns to 2022.
Estimated snow cover over much of the Sierra Nevada is now exceeding 5 feet with the snow depth topping 10 feet over portions of the high country as of Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. (NOAA/USDA Forestry Service)
Reservoir levels across the lower terrain and foothills of California have also continued to experience an uptick in water levels, as consistently stormy weather has bumped levels upward.
Farther north across Washington's Cascade Mountain Range, most basins are within 10-20% of their historical snow water equivalent at this point in the season.
While the consistently unsettled weather regime has greatly benefited the mountain ranges, it has also resulted in numerous weather-related headaches for residents that reside at lower elevations.
Both Los Angeles and San Francisco have observed over 200% of average rainfall so far this month, resulting in episodes of flash flooding and travel nightmares at times. Through Dec. 27, San Francisco has had 15 days with measurable precipitation, tallying up a whopping 8.99 inches.
Across the Southwest, places like Flagstaff and Phoenix, Arizona, have experienced their fair share of wet weather as well, as both cities observed an inch or more of precipitation on Christmas Eve.
Record-challenging cold weather will remain in place across the Northwest early this week, resulting in impressively low snow levels. In some locales Sunday morning, snow was reported down to sea level in Washington.
Heavy snow was reported in the Seattle metropolitan area during the pre-dawn hours on Sunday and snow continued throughout much of the day.
Snow dealt a severe blow to operations at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Sunday. At one point Sunday afternoon, more than 360 flight delays and almost 290 cancellations were reported as crews worked around the clock to clear runways and deice aircraft.
"Snow totals for the Seattle area ended up being generally on the order of 2-4 inches on Sunday, with northern areas experiencing locally higher accumulations," AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert said.
The Emerald City averages around 6.8 inches of snowfall per year.
Snow levels fell throughout the day on Monday and Monday night across Central and Northern California from around 2,000 feet. The snow caused power outages across portions of California, including Nevada City. The heavy snowfall there knocked trees into power lines, leaving homes and businesses without power.
Looking ahead, there's more on the way across the West.
"The heavy snow will continue to create travel and logistical challenges across the passes as this will lead to another round of pass closures and the need for chains on most vehicles. This includes those who are traveling back from the holidays or are traveling to the ski resorts," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys explained.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The active pattern will continue with another storm moving southward through Oregon and California into Tuesday night. With cold air once again in place, impressively low snow levels are expected. The storm managed to unload a fresh 1-3 inches of snow on the Portland, Oregon, area into Tuesday morning.
The same storm will drop across Southern California on Wednesday with 1-4 inches of rain, increasing the likelihood of flash urban flooding and the potential for mudslides, especially in recent burn scar locations.
Another storm will bring additional accumulating snow to Seattle and Portland from late Wednesday night to Thursday evening forecasters say.
While the cold and snowy pattern has ski-lovers jumping for joy, the fresh powder will come along with hidden dangers. A major risk for avalanches is expected as a result of the rounds of snowfall across the mountainous terrain. For the thrill-seekers looking to get out into the back country, this is risk is especially dangerous and proper precautions should be exercised.
From midweek into the upcoming weekend, the storm slated to bring another round of wet and snowy weather is expected to pivot southward along the West Coast, bringing a renewed threat across the lower terrain for flooding to California and the Southwest as well as feet of snow in the mountainous terrain.
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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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