Urgent - winter weather message
National weather service hanford ca
334 am pst tue jan 17 2017

Caz096-097-172000-
/o.New.Khnx.Ws.W.0004.170118t2200z-170119t2200z/
Sierra nevada from yosemite to kings canyon-
Tulare county mountains-
Including the cities of...Camp nelson...Giant forest...Lodgepole
334 am pst tue jan 17 2017

...Winter storm warning in effect from 2 pm wednesday to 2 pm pst
Thursday above 5000 feet...

The national weather service in hanford has issued a winter storm
Warning above 5000 feet for heavy snow...Which is in effect from
2 pm wednesday to 2 pm pst thursday.

* locations...Southern sierra nevada above 5000 feet.

* hazard types...Heavy snow and gusty winds.

* snow accumulations...Up to 18 inches above 7000 feet. 6 to 12
Inches above 5000 feet.

* timing...Snow will begin around 8000 feet in yosemite np early
Wednesday afternoon and spread southward through wednesday
Evening. Snowfall will become heavy at times wednesday night
With the snow level lowering to around 5000 feet.

* impacts...The heavy snow will make many roads impassable and may
Produce power outages due to the weight of the snow on tree limbs
And power lines. Strong winds will lead to blowing
Snow...Reduced visibility...And additional power outages.

* winds...Southwest 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph.

Precautionary/preparedness actions...

A winter storm warning for heavy snow means severe winter weather
Conditions are expected or occurring. Significant amounts of snow
Are forecast that will make travel dangerous. Only travel in an
Emergency. If you must travel...Keep an extra flashlight...Food...
And water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.

&&

$$

Dch

How do all of these storms affect the tremendously popular Horsetail? Increase in snowpack is good for water supply, but potential fog and cloudiness during the window are probably negatives?

Correct. At the risk of stating the obvious, if you want to see Horsetail falls backlit by the sun, there needs to be a falls, i.e. water (which is why it's almost never observed in late October when the sun also sets in the right position, but only in late February), and there needs to be sunlight close to sunset time. So if the sunlight is blocked late in the day because of cloudiness - which can be present far to the west, not just close to Yosemite - you won't get the backlighting effect on the falls. Given that the window is roughly two weeks long, it's hard to be believe the sun would be clouded over on every one of those days...but it might be cloudy on the one day when you have time to watch.