Be on the lookout for falling limbs and downed trees, a winter-like storm is heading towards Yosemite and is expected to bring strong winds, snow and up to a quarter inch of rain.
A storm originating from the Central Pacific is slated to push a cold front through the Central California interior Saturday afternoon and night. The storm has the potential to bring snow and strong winds to the higher elevations of the Sierra. Snow accumulations of up to 8 inches are possible above 7,000 feet with lighter accumulations down to 4,000 feet by Sunday morning.
In the Kern County mountains, snow accumulations of up to 4 inches are possible above 6,000 feet by Sunday morning. While the bulk of the precipitation will fall as rain at pass level, the rain could end as a few snow showers down to about 4,000 feet by Saturday night. Additionally, brisk winds are likely through and below the mountain passes this weekend. Northwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph are possible saturday evening in the kern county mountains and desert areas.
In the San Joaquin Valley, Southerly winds of up to 20 mph are possible Saturday, especially in Merced County and along the west side. Projected rain amounts from this storm will range from just a few hundredths of an inch along the west side and south end to as much as a quarter of an inch from Fresno county North. In the Sierra foothills, rainfall amounts of a quarter of an inch to three quarters of an inch are likely by the time precipitation dwindles to a few showers sunday morning.(NWS)