February 28, 2018 – A very wet and cold winter storm is approaching, plan for disruptions of your daily routines. The storm will start this afternoon, first as rain in the Foothills, then rapidly turn to snow.

Impacts

  • Significant travel delays, road closures, delayed school openings or school closures over the Sierra and into the foothills
  • Whiteout conditions at times
  • Potential tree limb damage and power outages with heavy snow
  • Difficult driving conditions for high-profile vehicles with winds Thursday
  • Accumulating small hail in thunderstorms

Timing and Strength

  • Late Wednesday – Saturday
    • Snowiest storm for the foothills since 2011, Sierra passes saw similar totals with storms last year.
    • 3 to 7 feet of snow accumulation over the high Sierra, up to 2 feet in some foothill locations
    • Snow levels 3000-4000 ft initially, lowering to 1500-2500 ft Friday
    • Winds Thursday: gusts of 25-40 mph in the Valley, 45-65 mph in the Sierra
    • Thunderstorms possible in the Valley Thursday PM and Friday PM

Weather Summary

Cold and snowy winter storm arrives this afternoon. The system will be snowier and just as cold as the last system. This storm combines cold air and a significant moisture supply to bring very heavy snow, down into low levels. Major impacts to travel across a wide range of elevations are expected. Breezy winds expected Thursday as cold front moves through along with the chance for valley thunderstorms Thursday PM and Friday PM.

Be Prepared

  • Have sufficient food and water for yourself and your pets to last for several days.
  • Pick up any prescription medication you may need before the storm hits.
  • Charge your electronic devices and check your flashlight and radio batteries.
  • Have repair supplies available.
  • Be aware of changing conditions and monitor your local media for weather alerts and updates.
  • If you are able, check on your neighbors.
  • For well owners: Have extra water stored in case of a power outage
  • Make sure your pets, plants and pipes are safe. Pets and livestock need extra attention and should be sheltered during the storm. Outside pipes should be wrapped.

Report any hazards, like downed power lines or trees. If you live in Nevada County, avail yourself of the Ask Nevada County app, available on your browser or as an app to report road maintenance requests and other concerns. The app does not replace calls to 911, but rather serves as a hotline for non-urgent requests.

Safety tips from PG&E:

Be prepared before storms arrive:

  • Have battery-operated flashlights and radios with fresh batteries ready. Listen for updates on storm conditions and power outages.
  • If you have a cordless phone or answering machine that requires electricity to work, have a standard telephone or cell phone ready as a backup.
  • Keep your cell phone charged, and have a portable charging device handy.
  • Freeze plastic containers filled with water to make blocks of ice that can be placed in your refrigerator/freezer during an outage to prevent food from spoiling.
  • If you have a stand-by generator, notify PG&E and make sure that it’s installed safely to avoid risking damage to your property and endangering PG&E workers who could be working on power lines in your neighborhood. Information on the safe installation of generators can be found on our website at www.pge.com/generator.

If outages occur:

  • Stay away from downed power lines. Treat all downed power lines as if they are energized and extremely dangerous. Keep yourself and others well away from them and immediately call 911, then notify PG&E’s 24-hour emergency and customer service line at 1-800-743-5002.
  • Candles pose a fire risk. Avoid using them during a power outage. If you must use candles, keep them away from drapes, lampshades and small children. Do not leave candles unattended.
  • If your power goes out, unplug or turn off electric appliances to avoid overloading circuits and fire hazards when power is restored. Simply leave a single lamp on to alert you when power returns. Turn your appliances back on one at a time when conditions return to normal.

Before calling PG&E about a power outage:

  • Sign up for PG&E’s outage alerts, which provide customer updates via phone calls, texts or emails. Go to your My Energy account or click on www.pge.com/outages for more information.
  • Check to see if other neighbors are affected. This will confirm if an outage is impacting the neighborhood or just your residence.
  • If you don’t see your outage listed on our outage maps, report your outage to PG&E’s Electric Outage Information Line at 1-800-743-5002. Our phone lines may become very busy during major storms, and we appreciate your patience if you are trying to reach us.

Sandbag locations

Sandbags are available throughout locations in the Foothills. Bring your own shovel, sand and bags are provided for free.

Nevada County

  • Next to the Nevada County Warehouse on the corner of Highway 49 and East Broad Street in Nevada City
  • Penn Valley Fire Protection District located at 10513 Spenceville Road in Penn Valley
  • North San Juan Community Hall located at 10057 Reservoir Street in North San Juan
  • Higgins Fire Station 21 located at 10106 Combie Road
  • Truckee Fire Protection District 11473 Donner Pass Rd (station92) along with Town of Truckee at Stockrest Springs by the Forest Service

Residents must bring their own shovel to fill the sandbags with sand. We do request that residents only take what they plan to use for protection of their personal property.

Placer County

  • Alta: CAL FIRE Station 33, 33752 Alta Forestry Road
  • North Auburn: Placer County Fire Station 180, 11645 Atwood Road
  • Foresthill: Foresthill Fire Protection District Station 90, 20540 Foresthill Road.
  • Granite Bay: South Placer Fire Station 17, 6900 Eureka Road
  • Homewood: North Tahoe Fire: Station 53, 5425 West Lake Blvd
  • Kings Beach: North Tahoe Fire Station 52, 288 North Shore Blvd (Intersection of Highways 267 & 28)
  • Lincoln: Placer County Fire Station 70, 1112 Wise Road and Placer County Fire Station 74, 8500 Lakeview Lane
  • Loomis: Town of Loomis Corp Yard, Corner of Rippey Road and Mandarin Court.
  • Meadow Vista: Placer Hills Fire Station 84, 16999 Placer Hills Road
  • Northstar: Northstar Community Services District Corp Yard, 50 Trimont Lane (off Northstar Blvd)
  • Ophir: Placer County Fire Station 182, Ophir, 9405 Wise Road
  • Paige: Placer County Fire Station 75, Paige, 5390 Nicolaus Road
  • Sheridan: Placer County Fire Station 78, Sheridan, 4952 Riosa Road
  • Squaw Valley: Old Squaw Valley Fire Station, 1810 Squaw Valley Road (at west end of valley, near lifts)
  • Tahoe City: Department of Public Works Corp Yard, 2501 North Lake Blvd (Burton Creek)
  • Truckee: Truckee Fire Station 92, 11473 Donner Pass Road and Town of Truckee Corp Yard, 10969 Stevens Ln.

El Dorado County:

  • El Dorado County Fire Station #17 6430 Pony Express Trail, Pollock Pines
  • El Dorado County Fire Station #19 4429 Pleasant Valley Road, Placerville
  • El Dorado County Fire Station #21 4040 Carson Road, Camino
  • El Dorado County Fire Station #72 7200 Florian Court, Cool
  • Pioneer Fire Station #38 7061 Mt. Aukum Road, Somerset
  • Diamond Springs/El Dorado Fire Station #49 501 Main Street, Diamond Springs
  • Garden Valley Fire Station #51 4860 Marshall Road, Garden Valley
  • Rescue Fire Station #83 5221 Deer Valley Road, Rescue
  • El Dorado Hills Fire Station #85 1050 Wilson Boulevard, El Dorado Hills
  • Cameron Park Fire Station #89 3200 Country Club Drive, Cameron Park
  • Department of Transportation Yard 1121 Shakori Drive. Meyers
  • City of South Lake Tahoe Public Works Yard 1160 Rufus Allen Blvd., next to Campground by the Lake