California was hit by a powerful blizzard at the weekend that affected the Sierra Nevada mountain range. A blizzard is a combination of dry, powdery snow alongside strong winds; it can also contain lightning. Under its most intense bursts, the blizzard that struck California produced up to 152mm (6in) of snow an hour and 190mph (306km/h) gusts.
By 6am local time on Saturday, the Mammoth Mountain ski area received 0.6 metres (almost 2ft) of snow and was forced to close. The National Weather Service described this event as life threatening. The snow continued to fall overnight, with up to 3.7 metres sweeping the highest parts of the mountain range by Sunday morning.
