California Storm Update 2017: Dangerous Flooding, Blizzard Warning Issued For Sierra Nevada

Rain, wind and snow hit parts of California over the weekend, with flooding to the region Tuesday followed by snow across Northern Nevada and Sierra Nevada. The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning in Sierra Nevada for Wednesday, saying conditions outside are “potentially life-threatening.”

Tuesday's storm was the latest to be brought by the heaviest rain in a decade to parts of Northern California and Nevada. According to weather forecasters, the storms are part of an "atmospheric river" weather phenomenon that draws precipitation from the Pacific Ocean as far west as Hawaii.

"This is definitely a dangerous, life-threatening situation going on up there," Scott McGuire, a forecaster for the National Weather Service based in Reno, Nevada, reportedly said. "People should not attempt to travel at all."

Forecasters warned of up to 10 feet of snow in the highest mountains, with up to 7 feet of snow around the resorts of Lake Tahoe, with high risk of avalanches. Many ski resorts shut down Tuesday because of the storm. Authorities announced that several schools in the region will be closed Wednesday.

Residents of two neighborhoods on Lake Tahoe's north shore were urged to stay indoors because of the high avalanche danger.

"Cornices along the ridge above Crystal Bay will be getting large enough to fall on their own weight and trigger long-running avalanches that could reach homes below," Tia Rancourt, a spokeswoman for the North lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, said after warnings were issued in Crystal Bay and Incline Village asking people to take shelter until conditions improve.

Meanwhile, about 2,000 people in a rural California community near Sacramento had to leave their homes Tuesday due to the heavy rain-threatening floods, while north of San Francisco thousands more were urged to move to higher grounds.