An extremely-dangerous winter storm has arrived in California and will unload feet of snow, powerful winds and rare blizzard conditions in the mountains through the weekend. The storm will bury California under its biggest snowfall of the year, posing a significant danger to travelers – but provide a huge boost for the state’s water supply and tourism. … The storm currently hitting the Sierra, will be factored into the April snow survey. The April survey is viewed as the most consequential since officials use the measurement to forecast the state’s water resources for the rest of the year. The survey showed snowpack was 70% of the April average. Millions of people in the West depend on a melting snowpack in the warmer months for hydropower, irrigation and drinking water.

Related articles: 

• Weather West: Cold storms headed for CA, including rare blizzard conditions in Sierra Nevada Fri-Sat
• Los Angeles Times: Will California’s incoming blizzard finally push snowpack above normal?
• AgNet West: California snowpack less than half of what it was this time last year
• KTLA – Los Angeles: California snowpack continues to grow, but March will be crucial
• Department of Water Resources: Press release – March snow survey shows improvement for Sierra snowpack
• San Francisco Chronicle: Tahoe blizzard - Here’s when extreme snow and wind will be most dangerous