Severe weather impacted areas of the US during the first half of the weekend, including heavy snowfall in upstate New York, a major snow storm across the Midwestern states, severe weather warnings around Lake Tahoe and unusual tornado activity in central California, including dangerous conditions. Were involved.
The ice storm that began Friday evening created hazardous driving conditions across Iowa and eastern Nebraska Friday and Saturday.
The weather caused the temporary closure of Interstate 80 after several cars and trucks slid off the road.
In upstate New York, more than 33 inches of rain was recorded near Orchard Park, which is often a landing point for lake-effect snow.
On Saturday, around 1:40 p.m., a tornado touched down near a shopping mall in Scotts Valley, California, about 70 miles south of San Francisco.
The National Weather Service said the tornado overturned cars and downed trees and utility poles.
The Scotts Valley Police Department said several people were injured and taken to hospitals.
Some trees fell on cars and roads and damaged roofs in San Francisco.
According to the weather service, damage was being assessed to determine whether the city was actually hit by a tornado, which had not occurred since 2005.
Roger Gass, a meteorologist at the weather service’s office in Monterey, California, said the warning of a possible tornado in San Francisco was a first for the city, adding that no advanced warnings had been issued since the last tornado struck nearly 20 years ago. .
“I think there weren’t clear signatures on radar for warning in 2005,” said Gass, who was not there at the time.
Residents were warned to take shelter due to the fast-moving storm, but very few people in the area have basements.
“The biggest thing we tell people in the city is to build as many walls as possible between you and the outside,” said meteorologist Dalton Behringer.
More than a foot of snow fell at some Lake Tahoe ski resorts and winds of 112 mph were recorded at the Mammoth Mountain resort south of Yosemite National Park, according to the weather service office in Reno, Nevada. Up to 3 feet of snowfall is expected on the Sierra Nevada mountain peaks.
The Tahoe Live music festival at Palisades Tahoe ski resort in California was expected to go on as planned Saturday and Sunday despite winter storm warnings in the area.
According to the festival’s website, Lil Wayne was scheduled to perform on Saturday night, while Diplo was the headliner on Sunday.
The winter storm warning was scheduled to expire at 10 p.m. Saturday, but an avalanche warning remained in effect until the next night at elevations above 8,000 feet around Tahoe.
Interstate 80 was closed Saturday for 80 miles from Applegate, Calif., to the Nevada line just west of Reno. The California Highway Patrol reopened the road at noon to passenger vehicles with chains or four-wheel drive and snow tires.
The severe weather caused at least one death in the Midwest. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Nebraska said a 57-year-old woman was killed when she lost control of her pickup on Highway 30 near Arlington and collided with an oncoming truck. The other driver suffered minor injuries.
Businesses announced plans to remain open until late Saturday night as temperatures rose so high in the afternoon that snow melted in most places.
“Fortunately there’s some warm air coming in behind it that makes it temporary,” said meteorologist Dave Cousins of the National Weather Service’s office in Davenport, Iowa.
Thousands of people lost power Saturday in western Washington state as the system brought rain and high winds, local news outlets reported.
(Tags to translate)US News(T)California(T)Snow(T)Midwest(T)San Francisco(T)Snow(T)Tornadoes(T)Upstate New York(T)Weather
