MOUNTAIN AREA — The National Weather Service (NWS) has upgraded the next storm system to a Winter Storm Warning, as rain and snow return to the area, and freezing overnight temps prevail. In the foothills above 2,500 feet, there’s a Winter Weather Advisory for snow — up to seven inches is expected, according to the NWS. Winter Weather Advisory for ...

YOSEMITE – Yosemite National Park officials have announced that El Portal Road (Highway 140), Wawona Road (Highway 41), and Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120 from the west) have been reopened as of noon today. Tire chains are required. Areas remaining closed for now: Badger Pass Road and Yosemite Ski & Snowboard Area All campgrounds Mariposa and Merced Groves of ...

By Greg M. Stock —  YOSEMITE — Yosemite faced a number of challenging events in 2018, including floods and fires. Fortunately, serious rockfalls were not among them. Forty-one events (including rockfalls, rockslides, and debris flows) were documented in 2018, below the recent (2006-2017) average of 53 events per year, and less than half of that documented in 2017. Rockfalls in ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — With visions of snow days dancing in their heads, children in the foothills went to sleep on Monday night and woke up on Tuesday, Feb. 5, to a proverbial winter wonderland, as the promised so-many-inches blanketed neighborhoods overnight. And it’s not over yet — freezing temps are expected overnight and there’s a good chance that snow is ...

MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally from Monday, Jan. 28 to Sunday, Feb. 3, 2019. Coarsegold theft from vehicle On Monday, Jan. 28 at 8:23 a.m. a deputy was dispatched to the 46000 block of Lucy Lane regarding theft from a vehicle. A report was written, evidence obtained and case ...

YOSEMITE – Due to heavy snow accumulation and tree failures, all roads are closed within Yosemite National Park. This is a hard closure and will remain in effect until conditions change allowing for safe opening, say park officials. Highway 140 is closed at the park boundary, and chains or snow tires are required from Whitlock road to Midpines, according to ...

By Therese Righter — O’NEALS — On Friday, Mar. 29 and Saturday Mar. 30, Minarets High School will host the freshly-dubbed Sierra Mountain Communities for a Cure, bringing together all of the mountain communities, businesses, and schools for a great purpose — to support the American Cancer Society in its mission to fight cancer. The Relay for Life: Sierra Mountain Communities for ...

MOUNTAIN AREA — While the National Weather Service in Hanford will allow a Winter Storm Warning and a Winter Weather Advisory in our area to expire with the passing storm, freezing temps will occur overnight. The warning took effect at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 1 and continues through 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 5. The advisory began at 4 ...

YOSEMITE — Temporary road closures and delays may be possible over the next several days along Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120 West), Wawona Road (Highway 41), and El Portal Road (Highway 140) inside Yosemite National Park. An incoming winter storm system could impact roadways inside the park due to heavy precipitation and snow at higher elevations. Yosemite National Park ...

**UPDATE: 5:30 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 3: the highway has been reopened.** UPDATE: 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 3: Highway 140 reported by CHP to be temporarily closed in the vicinity of Crane Creek Road in El Portal due to a rock slide. **UPDATE: 3:30 p.m. Feb. 2: Highway 140 has been reopened MARIPOSA — Due to the impact of an ongoing ...