--- title: California's Sierra Nevadas Brace for Winter Storms description: California's Sierra Nevada Mountains could see more than 10 feet of snow this week as several storms approach the mountain range. canonical: https://time.com/4623476/california-snow-weather-forecast/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-05T12:35:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:54:46.530Z article:section: Science og:title: California Could Get Up to 15 Feet of Snow This Week og:description: The storm could bring relief to the state's drought og:url: https://time.com/4623476/california-snow-weather-forecast/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt740db216ea7cfeb5/6988b4795f570f7d65b23ade/sierra-nevada-mountains-snow-california.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: sierra nevada mountains snow california og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: California Could Get Up to 15 Feet of Snow This Week twitter:description: The storm could bring relief to the state's drought twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt740db216ea7cfeb5/6988b4795f570f7d65b23ade/sierra-nevada-mountains-snow-california.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # California Could Get Up to 15 Feet of Snow This Week ## Video: What Wind Chill Temperatures Mean (Aside From the Fact That It's Really Cold) [Watch (HLS stream): What Wind Chill Temperatures Mean (Aside From the Fact That It's Really Cold)](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ayTd2SPC.m3u8) (1:58)  _Published 2014-01-07. What is wind chill, and how is it calculated? TIME explains the winter term that's on everyone's minds this season._  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jan 5, 2017 12:35 PM UTC  Snow is visible through the clouds on the Eastern Sierra from Lone Pine, Calif. overnight Nov. 21, 2016. Snow is visible through the clouds on the Eastern Sierra from Lone Pine, Calif. overnight Nov. 21, 2016.Francine Orr—LA Times via Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jan 5, 2017 12:35 PM UTC California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains could see more than 10 feet of snow this week as [several storms](http://time.com/4623479/winter-weather-forecast-california-snow/) approach the mountain range. The National Weather Service (NWS) [issued](https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/ca.php?x=1) winter storm warnings in several parts of the state including the Lake Tahoe area, Mono County and the stretch of the Sierra Nevada Mountains from Yosemite to Kings Canyon. The NWS has also warned of rain and flooding at lower elevations. The region has received unexpectedly high levels of snow this year with the [snowpack](http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Sierra-snowpack-survey-prompts-drought-watchers-10833228.php) already several inches above average. The news has given California some reason for optimism that this year’s precipitation could break the state’s years-long drought. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4623476/california-snow-weather-forecast/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4623476/california-snow-weather-forecast/"},"headline":"California Could Get Up to 15 Feet of Snow This Week","datePublished":"2017-01-05T12:35:27.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:54:46.530Z","description":"The storm could bring relief to the state's drought","url":"https://time.com/4623476/california-snow-weather-forecast/","keywords":["weather","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt740db216ea7cfeb5/6988b4795f570f7d65b23ade/sierra-nevada-mountains-snow-california.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt740db216ea7cfeb5/6988b4795f570f7d65b23ade/sierra-nevada-mountains-snow-california.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"sierra nevada mountains snow california","caption":"sierra nevada mountains snow california","creditText":"Francine Orr—LA Times via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/weather/","name":"weather"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4623476/california-snow-weather-forecast/","name":"California Could Get Up to 15 Feet of Snow This Week"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"What Wind Chill Temperatures Mean (Aside From the Fact That It's Really Cold)","description":"What is wind chill, and how is it calculated? 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