Our weather is changing here in Kern.
Winds have begun to pick up Tuesday afternoon, gusting over 50 miles per hour in Eastern Kern.
Gusts in the Desert could be over 70 miles per hour Tuesday night, with gusts over 50 miles per hour in the mountains, and over 40 miles per hour in the Valley.
Winds alone will cause travel impacts, but we're going to be adding more to the mix.
Snow will arrive in the Kern Mountains Tuesday evening, falling down as low as 1,000 feet.
Through Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning 3 to 6 inches of snow are expected for Tehachapi, 1 to 3 inches over the Grapevine, and 1 to 3 inches for Lake Isabella.
Snow will combine with strong winds to create low visibility, alongside blowing and drifting.
Tuesday night's snow will bring significant travel impacts.
The Grapevine could should down, and it's likely that Highway 58 through Tehachapi will close.
Scattered rain and snow showers will continue across Kern Wednesday into Thursday.
This will drive snow totals even higher, and the passes could close intermittently both days.
Rain totals in the Valley look to be about 0.10" to 0.25" through Thursday.
Our next, likely stronger storm arrives late Thursday night into Friday, and will last into Saturday.
This strong brings a much better chance for heavy rain in the Valley, as well as more heavy snow to the mountains.
It is likely that both I-5 and Highway 58 will close Friday into Saturday.
Pay very close attention to the forecast and road conditions if you have travel plans this week, and be sure to have a backup plan in case roads are closed.
If possible, avoid travel through the mountains in general.
