--- 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=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5472 og:image:height: 3078 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=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # California Could Get Up to 15 Feet of Snow This Week > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ## 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. ## Transcript When it comes to dressing for winter, we tend to care less about the outside temperature and focus more on what the weather feels like-- a temperature that's based on outside wind conditions. How does scientists calculate wind chill, and what does it mean? To understand wind chill, it's important to note how wind affects body temperature. Our bodies lose heat more quickly in windy conditions. The faster the wind, the more heat is drawn away from exposed skin, causing a drop in temperature. This is what results in a difference between the actual air temperature and perceived temperature. The first time wind chill was officially assigned a numerical value was in the 1940s when Antarctic explorers measured the time it took for a bottle of water to freeze, and calculated a wind chill formula that reflected heat loss per unit surface area. Today, wind chill is determined by this formula, where TWC is the wind chill in degrees Fahrenheit, V is the wind speed in miles per hour, and T is the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. For example, a temperature of >> 10 degrees Fahrenheit with winds at 26 miles per hour would mean a wind chill temperature of >> 38 degrees Fahrenheit. Based on this formula, the >> 38 degrees is actually meant to represent the temperature you would feel if you were about 5 feet tall and walking in an open field at night with no interference from the sun. According from the Wind Chill Chart from the National Weather Service, frostbite could occur after ten minutes of exposure to a wind chill of >> 38 degrees. While the final wind chill temperature isn't an exact calculation of how each individual will perceive a cold, it provides a good reference point for getting a better sense of outside conditions, and is crucial in helping determine how dangerous outside conditions may be. ```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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