A winter storm watch went out for Northern California as holiday travelers look ahead to Presidents Day weekend, with meteorologists warning of potentially severe snow and major disruptions to travel routes into the Sierra Nevada and surrounding ski areas. The National Weather Service said travelers should expect “major travel impacts” and use “extreme caution,” citing the risk of worsening conditions as a cold system approaches.
A National Weather Service meteorologist in the Sacramento office, Dakari Anderson, told The Associated Press that Saturday through Sunday morning offers the “best travel window” ahead of the incoming weather. Anderson said conditions had remained relatively quiet on Saturday, after some earlier-week snow, but he cautioned that the outlook changes as the next phase develops.
Anderson said conditions are expected to pick up Sunday afternoon, with communities at elevations between 3,000 and 4,000 feet (914 to 1,219 meters) potentially seeing between 1 and 2 feet (30 and 60 centimeters) of snow. He said the heaviest accumulations are likely to occur in harder-to-reach areas, while populated communities could still experience some of the heavier amounts.
In higher elevations, the meteorologist warned that snow totals could rise sharply, possibly reaching 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 meters). Among the places facing the highest accumulations, Anderson said Blue Canyon—an unincorporated community located at 4,695 feet (1,431 meters) of elevation about 51 miles (82 kilometers) west of Lake Tahoe—could be affected.
Local officials also urged residents and drivers to prepare. The City of South Lake Tahoe posted on Facebook that residents who drive on Monday should “expect delays, possible road closures, and whiteout conditions,” reflecting the risk that visibility and road conditions could deteriorate quickly.
In addition, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office urged residents to take advantage of the clearer conditions on Saturday to get ready, posting that it has seemed “spring-like” for much of 2026 but that winter is “not quite done yet.” The storm event is expected to span several days and could also affect parts of western Nevada and southern Oregon, according to the watch and related forecasts.