That blizzard warning going into effect a for tomorrow, that's going to take us all the way into Sunday morning. That's the extended time frame that we're talking about. So, as I mentioned, this is an extreme Sierra storm with above 5000 ft, 5 to 10 ft of snow between 8000 ft, 1 to 4 ft of snow with a snow rate at about 2 to 4 inches per hour. That means it is just going to be pounding the Sierra at times. It doesn't look like much on satellite and radar right now looks like a pretty normal storm here, but the duration of this event is going to be prolonged and that's what's going to give us a tremendous amount of snow in that three day period as we zoom in a little bit closer, seeing the blue skies for today a great day to do the travel, do the aryans and be prepared for what's to come t for now in the sixties, up and down the valley, a pretty normal winter day here, fifties and sixties for the foothills and forties up top of this year. Now, as we unfold this timeline. You can see how things start to develop for tomorrow morning commute. Really. Not that bad. Few snow flurries up in this era and generally dry conditions through the valley, a few light showers for the coast. Then we get into the afternoon hours rain developing for the foothills snow for this year. So that's going to be at about noon, some spotty showers periodically. But then the rain and the snow really get going during the afternoon again. This is just the beginning more on how much we're expecting coming up. Ok, Monica, we'll check back in shortly. So we had a nice day today and people in the Sierra are now preparing for this major snowstorm. ABC Ten's Devin Truby is in truckee tonight and Devin that parking lot behind you looks packed. Yeah, Chris parking at a premium here as this lot has been busy all day. It's kind of serving as a one stop shop at a grocery store and a hardware store. So we've seen full cars coming in and out all day long. Residents enjoying the last days of sunshine before the snowstorm rolls in because we will have power outages and many of the Sierra counties are going to be hit particularly hard. El Dorado, Placer, Nevada. Sierra counties are going to be hit especially hard with the storm and low elevation snow on Saturday, which is why Colfax resident James Hatch already has his plan in place. A little Jr when the power goes off. It takes on the rack and still have power. Be nice if everybody did PG and E says this storm, they're predicting most outages will be caused by trees, breaking under the weight of the snow. We're also out pruning trees because we expect there could be the need to replace a large number of poles and down power lines. So we'll need to have those materials staged and ready to go. Stores from Colfax, a truckie bustling with people picking up last minute items, preparing to possibly be snowed in getting firewood upstairs and just got the propane filled. Just went to Costco, grabbed a couple of small things from here. So Benjamin Sullivan is also preparing entertainment for the next few days. Pull out a puzzle, cook something you've never cooked before. Read a book. PG and E says they'll be pulling crews from areas not impacted by the storm for a quicker response and they've already stationed their snow equipment so they can get to those areas that can be hard to reach with all that snow. Nice to see people taking advantage of this day because keep in mind we have another storm as early as Tuesday and so this could be a very dangerous time, especially if folks don't have power. Devin Truby live for us tonight. Devin, thank you. And you know, it's not just those homes impacted by the storms, it's the roads too, several feet of snow in the Sierra are expected to make dangerous travel conditions. ABC Ten's Alicia Machado is live in Soda Springs tonight with more on how Pran is working to keep everyone safe. Alicia, the National Weather service says mountain travel will be nearly impossible. Thursday through Sunday, Caltrans crews have been preparing for this since the beginning of the week making sure their crews are ready to go and also preparing equipment before the snow falls. There are blue skies above Soda Springs, Wednesday but come Thursday, a storm is bringing blizzard conditions to the Sierra motorists need to expect the potential for anything. It's not very often that even the national weather service issues. A blizzard warning for the Sierra, a spokesperson for Caltrans District three says travel could be near impossible at times. The dangers are there not only weather wise for heavy snowfall, gusty winds possible white out conditions. Uh But now when you put that on a very busy stretch of highway, that's a critical artery for the state that adds even more a additional challenges. Cal Tran says drivers should be prepared for possible road closures, traffic halts, extended delays and slow travel. If you don't have to drive, don't do it delay your travel. Wait until the storm passes. Cal Tran says Donner Pass is expected to be one of the most impacted areas in our region as it's the highest spot along I 80 it can be the windiest plow trucks will be out to keep the highways if they need additional resources. Caltrans will bring in crews from valley locations and the Bay area in Soda Springs just off of I 80 gas stations were busy Wednesday afternoon as people prepared for the storm. I better get some fuel for the snow blowers and the generator Mary to says she'll be hunkering down at home waiting for the storm to pass. We're used to being without power so we have a generator. Ultimately cal trans says to avoid travel if you can. But if you absolutely must get out on the roads, make sure to bring an emergency kit with you. Also bring chains with you as well because even all wheel drive cars will need to carry chains in conditions like these. If you want to check out trolls or maps to see where road closures are. Check out cal trans quick maps for the latest information, Chris. Yeah, excellent advice. Alicia, the roads behind you look clear for now, but we know when that storm hit, got to stay off the roads if you can and don't forget to check in on loved ones our live for us tonight. Thank you and keep in mind you can track the latest weather conditions with daily forecasts and right to your phone, just download the free ABC 10 app and don't forget to turn on notifications.
