THE NEXT ICE AGE - NOW!

                      
 

24 Feb 11 - With temperatures forecast to be in the 20s to lower 30s, the Bay Area could see record-breaking cold temperatures by Sunday and downtown San Francisco could see its first snowfall in more than 35 years.

It hasn’t snowed in downtown San Francisco since 1976, according to National Weather Service Meteorologist Austin Cross.

The weather service issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the North Bay mountains, warning that snow is expected above 1,000 feet, and of  "significant snowfall accumulations possible at unusually low elevations." (Italics added.)

For Eureka, the weather service warns that "snow may briefly reach sea level and the valley floors."

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
24 FEB 11 - WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE NORTH BAY MOUNTAINS...* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: 1 INCH DOWN TO 1000 FT WITH 2 TO 4 INCHES ABOVE 1500 FT. 6 INCHES OR MORE FOR THE HIGHER HILLS ABOVE 2500 FEET.

* ELEVATION: HEAVIEST SNOW ABOVE 1500 FT BUT ACCUMULATING SNOW EXPECTED DOWN TO 1000 FEET.

* TIMING: A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW WILL DEVELOP THURS AFTERNOON AND CHANGE TO ALL SNOW BY THURS EVENING AS SNOW LEVELS DROP. STEADY PRECIPITATION WILL CHANGE TO SNOW SHOWERS BY FRIDAY MORNING.

* LOCATIONS INCLUDE: HIGHWAY 29 BETWEEN CALISTOGA AND MIDDLETOWN. ALL ROADWAYS ABOVE 1000 FEET IN SONOMA...NAPA AND MARIN COUNTIES.

* IMPACTS: POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT TRAVEL IMPACTS... WIDESPREAD SNOWFALL ON MANY ROADWAYS BY THURS NIGHT. LIKELY AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW WITH VERY LOW VISIBILITIES. COLD TEMPERATURES WILL NOT ALLOW FOR RAPID MELTING. SNOW ON TREE BRANCHES COULD LEAD TO POWER OUTAGES.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW...SLEET...OR FREEZING RAIN WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES...USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.
 

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
24 FEB 11 - WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW... ELEVATIONS ABOVE 1000 FEET IN THE EAST BAY HILLS INCLUDING THE DIABLO RANGE...THE SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS... PLUS ALL MOUNTAINS IN MONTEREY AND SAN BENITO COUNTIES. 

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: 1 INCH DOWN TO 1000 FEET WITH 3 TO 6 INCHES ABOVE 2000 FT. LOCALLY 9 INCHES OR MORE ABOVE 3000 FT.

* ELEVATION: HEAVIEST SNOW ABOVE 2000 FEET BUT ACCUMULATING SNOW EXPECTED DOWN TO 1000 FEET.

* TIMING: A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW WILL DEVELOP THURSDAY EVENING AND CHANGE TO ALL SNOW BY THURSDAY NIGHT AS SNOW LEVELS DROP. STEADY PRECIPITATION WILL CHANGE TO SNOW SHOWERS BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON.

* LOCATIONS INCLUDE: ALL ROADWAYS ABOVE 1000 FEET INCLUDING THE HIGHWAY 17 SUMMIT...SKYLINE BOULEVARD ...HIGHWAY 152 TO PACHECO PASS...AND LAURELES GRADE.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EUREKA CA
24 FEB 11 - WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM PST FRIDAY...

* SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 2 TO 4 INCHES EXPECTED FROM MID MORNING TODAY THROUGH FRI ABOVE 1500 FEET. HIGHER ACCUMULATION EXPECTED ABOVE 3000 FEET.

* UP TO 1 INCH OF SNOW POSSIBLE DOWN TO 500 FEET TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY. SNOW MAY BRIEFLY REACH SEA LEVEL AND THE VALLEY FLOORS BUT LITTLE ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED.

* SLOW DOWN...ALLOW EXTRA TIME AND BE PREPARED FOR CHANGING CONDITIONS.

* CHECK THE LATEST FORECASTS AND CALL 1-800-427-7623 FOR CURRENT ROAD CONDITIONS AND CHAIN REQUIREMENTS BEFORE TRAVELING.

* THIS WILL AFFECT TRAVEL ON ALL MAJOR ROUTES INCLUDING 101...  299...199...36 AND 3.

* BE ALERT FOR ROCK SLIDES.
  

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
24 FEB 11 - ANOTHER COLD WINTER STORM TO IMPACT THE INTERIOR OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TODAY AND INTO SATURDAY MORNING... WILL BRING VERY LOW SNOW LEVELS TO THE REGION AND PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW TO THE FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS. SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOWFALL POSSIBLE OVER THE NORTH END OF THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY WITH FLURRIES POSSIBLE IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY.

TRAVEL OVER THE MOUNTAIN PASSES WILL BECOME VERY DANGEROUS DUE TO HEAVY SNOW...STRONG WINDS AND POOR VISIBILITIES. TRAVEL DELAYS AND ROAD CLOSURES ARE POSSIBLE. MOUNTAIN AND FOOTHILL RESIDENTS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF POWER OUTAGES. SNOW AT LOWER ELEVATIONS WILL ALSO CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES.

SHASTA LAKE AREA / NORTHERN SHASTA COUNTY-BURNEY BASIN / EASTERN SHASTA COUNTY-MOUNTAINS SOUTHWESTERN SHASTA COUNTY TO NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY-CLEAR LAKE/SOUTHERN LAKE COUNTY-INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ALDER SPRINGS...LAKEPORT

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: 2 TO 5 INCHES DOWN TO 1000 FT AND IN THE BURNEY BASIN...UP TO 2 INCHES IN THE CLEAR LAKE AREA...4 TO 8 INCHES WITH LOCAL ACCUMULATIONS UP TO A FOOT OVER THE INTERIOR COAST RANGE AND HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE SHASTA COUNTY MOUNTAINS.

* LOCATIONS INCLUDE: SIMS...BURNEY...ALDER SPRINGS ...LAKEPORT.
 

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
24 FEB 11 - ANOTHER COLD WINTER STORM TO IMPACT THE INTERIOR OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TODAY AND INTO SATURDAY MORNING...WILL BRING VERY LOW SNOW LEVELS...AND PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW TO THE FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS. SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOWFALL POSSIBLE OVER THE NORTH END OF THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY WITH FLURRIES POSSIBLE ELSEWHERE IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY.

TRAVEL OVER MOUNTAIN PASSES WILL BECOME VERY DANGEROUS DUE TO HEAVY SNOW...STRONG WINDS AND POOR VISIBILITIES. TRAVEL DELAYS AND ROAD CLOSURES POSSIBLE. MOUNTAIN AND FOOTHILL RESIDENTS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF POWER OUTAGES. SNOW AT LOWER ELEVATIONS WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: 1 TO 3 INCHES DOWN TO 1000 FT...AND 4 TO 8 INCHES AROUND 2000 FEET AND A FOOT OR MORE AROUND 3000 FEET.

* LOCATIONS INCLUDE: GRASS VALLEY...PARADISE...AUBURN... PLACERVILLE

* IMPACTS: SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE AT  UNUSUALLY LOW ELEVATION. HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS POSSIBLE. POSSIBLE POWER OUTAGES.

http://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=mtr&wwa=winter weather advisory
Thanks to Steven Woodcock for this link