Wintry storm could snarl Thanksgiving travel in the Valley, Sierra

Central California residents traveling for Thanksgiving are being warned that a winterlike storm next week will pack rain, winds and snow as low as 2,500 feet.

Showers will start Tuesday, and then rain arrives Wednesday, with snow falling at the higher elevations.

Interstate 5 over the Grapevine will likely receive snowfall, as will highways heading to Yosemite and other destinations in the Sierra, the National Weather Service said Thursday.

The storm is coming down the West Coast from the Gulf of Alaska, and as such, is bringing cold air with it. “Although the exact track of this storm is uncertain, this system has the potential to bring several inches of snow to the mountains and a small accumulation of snow in the foothills above 2,500 feet by Wednesday evening,” said forecasters in the NWS office in Hanford.

The forecast calls for significant rainfall in the Valley, and the Sierra and Kern County mountains and deserts should be buffeted with strong winds.

The high temperature forecast for Fresno next Wednesday is only 53 degrees, with a 60 percent chance of rain.

The Thanksgiving Day forecast has not yet been posted by the weather service, but typically storms continue to produce showers as they head over the Valley and head east.

This story was originally published November 19, 2015 at 10:32 AM with the headline "Wintry storm could snarl Thanksgiving travel in the Valley, Sierra."