Yosemite winter travel warning, how much snow is expected to hit the region?

Travelers to the High Sierra in Central California were alerted Friday to a winter storm warning of heavy snowfall and high winds from Friday evening to Sunday evening.

Temperatures were expected to go as low as 19 degrees overnight, with daytime highs in the mid-30s.

Total snowfall could top 20 inches and winds were expected to gust as high as 50 mph, according to the National Weather Service. The weather alert covered Yosemite National Park, areas outside Yosemite Valley, and the Upper San Joaquin River.

Travel was expected to be “difficult to impossible,” according to the weather service, with the high probability that high winds could knock down tree branches.

Meteorologist Antoinette Serrato of the weather service said the force behind the Yosemite weather was “a pretty powerful system moving into Northern California, and Yosemite is ... getting a little of that.”

Anyone who must travel was reminded to carry at least one flashlight, along with food, and water. Local information on roadways is available by calling 511.

The weather on the valley floor during the Martin Luther King holiday was expected to be much milder, but still chilly, with the possibility of rain Saturday and daytime temperatures in the 40s. Overnight, the thermometer is likely to dip into the high 30s by early Saturday.

This story was originally published January 12, 2024 at 6:01 PM.