Two groups defied avalanche warnings and had to be rescued as several feet of snow buried the peak
The Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office had to conduct two rescue missions in one day on Mount Shasha as an atmospheric river continues to pummel Northern California. Defying avalanche warnings, two groups ventured onto Mount Shasta's snow-laden slopes on Thursday as the storm dumped several feet of snow on California's fifth-highest peak. They became stranded in the harsh conditions, KRCR reported, and ultimately required the assistance of search and rescue crews to bring them to safety.
The social media post from the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office announcing the rescue mission said one group of motorists was stranded near Bunny Flats, a popular trailhead at 6,950 feet on the mountain's southern side. The area serves as a gateway for climbers, skiers and snowmobilers heading to routes like the Old Ski Bowl, a favorite backcountry skiing spot.
Rescuers had to navigate the Everitt Memorial Highway, California's second-highest paved road, which is notorious for its vulnerability to extreme weather. Despite the dangers, they reached the stranded motorists and completed the mission without incident. The sheriff's office did note that "as is typical of this kind of callout, the people were able to be rescued, but their vehicle was left behind until the weather conditions improve."
SFGATE reached out to Siskiyou County Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue for more information about the rescue but did not hear back by the time of publication. LaRue did tell KRCR that he'd "never seen [winds] this high" and that the combination of rain and snow in this storm was causing additional problems, as the weight of the precipitation was causing more trees to break and fall.
Earlier this week, the Mount Shasta Avalanche Center, an organization run in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, issued a warning of possibly life-threatening avalanches due to the storm. The center warned that Mount Shasta would be hit by a "severe atmospheric river" on Nov. 19 and that the storm was expected to dump multiple feet of snow, creating "dangerous avalanche conditions in mountainous terrain."
Christine Riley, the lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Medford, Oregon, told SFGATE that Mount Shasta City, located at the base of the mountain, received 33 inches of snow in the last 24 hours. Looking ahead, forecasts predict over 9 feet of snow will blanket the mountain's upper reaches between Thursday morning and Saturday.
Riley warned that the current conditions could lead to rapid flooding and prompt a flood warning for the area. "The concern was we had quite a bit of snow that fell during that event," she said. "Snow levels rose to a level of 9,000 feet. The combination of rain and melting snow would cause rapid rises of creeks." She emphasized that this mix of rain and melting snow creates a perfect storm for flooding in and around Mount Shasta City.
On the same day that Siskiyou County Search and Rescue personnel were deployed, Shasta County Sheriff's Search and Rescue volunteers safely assisted a man, woman and 3-year-old child stranded in snow near the Lassen National Forest. After their vehicle slid off the road during a snowy outing, the man hiked 1.5 miles for cell service to send a 911 text, officials said. Rescuers used GPS to locate the trio, who were guided back to the road without injuries.