Forecast snowfall totals were trending higher, with 2 feet of snow possible along I-80 over Donner Summit above 4,500 feet. The highest peaks, including ski resorts, could pick more than 3 feet of snow, with localized totals up to 4 feet.
The snow line is predicted to be above pass level Friday morning before falling below 6,000 feet Saturday and eventually as low as 4,000 feet Saturday. Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range east of San Jose, could even get dusted Sunday.
A separate winter storm watch was issued for the Lake Tahoe area. The Highway 89 corridor along the west shore of the lake could pick up a foot of snow, with closer to half a foot in Kings Beach and Incline Village. Winds are forecast to gust up to 90 mph along the Sierra crest Saturday afternoon.
Spring snowstorms are not uncommon in the Sierra Nevada.
In May 2024, a storm dropped more than 2 feet of snow at the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab near Donner Summit, marking that location’s snowiest day of the season. April 1880 was exceptionally snowy, with accounts of up to 16 feet of snow at Donner Pass in a four-day span.
Total precipitation since Oct. 1 is near normal at the snow lab, though the snowpack is practically nonexistent in large part due to a record-shatting March heat wave that forced early closures of Sierra ski resorts. March finished as California’s warmest and driest on record.
Additional storms through mid-April could aid the meager Sierra snowpack, though a significant recovery to near normal is unlikely.