A weekend spring storm that drenched the San Francisco Bay area and closed Northern California mountain highways also set a single-day snowfall record for the season on Sunday in the Sierra Nevada.
Northern California is expected to receive another round of rain and snow starting Monday, after days of near nonstop snow totaling several feet and wind gusts of up to 150 mph.
The most powerful Pacific storm of the season began barreling into the region Thursday. It is expected to close major highways and trigger power outages Friday afternoon into Saturday.
Storms have been sweeping across California since last December. Areas with high elevation are forecasted to experience the brunt of this week's extreme weather.
A wildfire that triggered expanded evacuation orders may have been sparked by fireworks or a barbecue on the Fourth of July in a region that's a top tourism destination.
The sequoias are "wrapped with house-wrapping material, kind of an aluminum-foil fabric that goes around the base of the trees," says Jon Wallace, who is helping to lead the firefighting effort.
Whitmore died from complications from COVID-19, according to his wife. The storied climber helped make history as part of the team who first climbed Yosemite's El Capitan.
