Sierra Nevada

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Blizzard to Ease Before Heavy Snowfall Returns

Residents dig out in Sierra Nevada mountains during respite

(Newser) - A powerful blizzard in the Sierra Nevada mountains was expected to wane Sunday, but more heavy snow is on the way. The National Weather Service said that conditions would improve as winds weakened during the day, but that precipitation would quickly return, with heavy snow in some areas and rainfall...

In California's Sierra Nevada, an 'Exciting' Rare Find

For only 2nd time since early 1920s, a wolverine is spotted wandering the Golden State

(Newser) - A mystery creature that's been spotted in recent weeks wandering the Eastern Sierra in California has been identified, and wildlife officials are marveling. NBC News reports that on Thursday, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the animal is a lone rare wolverine, seen once last month in...

West's Water Crisis May Be Worse Than You Think

'We are looking down the barrel of a loaded gun,' says one expert

(Newser) - The snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains, which provides 30% of California's fresh water, is at its lowest level in seven years—a devastating sign of drought conditions to come. The end-of-winter snowpack measurement—which comes from measurements at more than 265 sites across the state, taken annually on...

Dramatic Mountain Rescue Saves a Frigid Dog

Russ was in the Sierra Nevada for 4 months before a backcountry skier spotted him

(Newser) - It's tough to beat a story about a missing dog being reunited with its owner. The details of this particular reunion, however, are extraordinary. The tale of Russ began in August when the pit bull-terrier mix got separated from his owner, a traveling nurse, in the South Lake Tahoe...

Driver Follows GPS, Becomes Stranded for a Week

Shorter route wasn't plowed, turns out

(Newser) - Harland Earls was driving through California's Sierra Nevada, on his way to a birthday party in Truckee last month, when his GPS suggested he turn up ahead for a shorter route. So he left Highway 49 for Henness Pass Road—which does, in hindsight, sound ominous during a snowstorm....

Snowplow Driver Finds 2 Murder Victims

Bodies were found on remote California highway

(Newser) - On Monday, the sheriff's department in Mono County, California, said a remote stretch of US 395 in the eastern Sierra Nevada was closed due to an "accident." They later admitted it was a double murder uncovered in an atypical way. Authorities say a CalTrans snowplow driver spotted...

Mystery of Mountain Skeleton May Be Solved
Big Lead in Mystery of
Skeleton Found Near Summit
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Oct 27, 2019 9:31 AM CDT

Big Lead in Mystery of Skeleton Found Near Summit

Giichi Matsumura's body was found, buried in the area in 1945

(Newser) - Authorities may be close to solving the " huge mystery " of a full human skeleton found buried under rocks on California's second-tallest mountain. NBC Los Angeles reports the Inyo County Sheriff's Office will attempt to identify the body using DNA from a relative of a Japanese American...

'Great Tragedy' in the Sierra Nevada

Snowmobiler finds plane with bodies of couple missing more than a month

(Newser) - Authorities have discovered the wreckage of a small plane buried in snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains in Northern California and the bodies of a couple missing for more than a month inside it. Sierra County sheriff's officials say a snowmobiler found a piece of the plane's tail...

Scientists Have Solved a Sequoia Mystery
Scientists Solve
Sequoia Mystery
Mar 29, 2017 8:14 PM CDT

Scientists Solve Sequoia Mystery

Dust from Gobi desert helps them grow: study

(Newser) - The sequoia trees of California's Sierra Nevada mountain range are obvious marvels. But according to new research , an unlikely and far-off source deserves a significant portion of the credit for allowing them to stand tall. The mineral that helps trees grow, phosphorus, is actually found in short supply in...

Calif. Storm Could Be Biggest in a Decade

Pioneer Cabin tree is among the casualties

(Newser) - Hundreds of homes were evacuated in northern Nevada and stranded motorists were pulled from cars stuck on flooded Northern California roads Sunday as thunderstorms arrived as part of a massive winter storm that could be the biggest to slam the region in more than a decade. Crews in California cleared...

Mountains Reveal Worst Water News in 500 Years

Study says the snowmelt has hit a dismal low

(Newser) - As if California doesn't have enough water problems . Now scientists say the Sierra Nevada snowpack—which gives the state nearly a third of its surface water—is at a shocking 500-year low, the Guardian reports. That means California, now in its fourth year of drought, can't rely as...

California Gets First-Ever Rules to Limit Water Use

Jerry Brown issues mandatory order amid historic drought

(Newser) - California Gov. Jerry Brown made history today, but not in a way he's happy about: He ordered the state's first-ever mandatory water restrictions amid a brutal drought, reports CBS Local . A slew of new rules will aim to curb water use by 25% over nine months. "It'...

Hungry Bears Get Desperate in Sierra Nevada

9 captured in 2 days

(Newser) - If you live near the Sierra Nevada, your chance of running into a bear has apparently spiked: Nine have been captured in the area over the last two days, while another was killed by a car. In the fall months, bears can eat up to 25,000 calories a day—...

Hiker Survives on Bugs After Harrowing Leg Break

Gregg Hein: Break was so bad bone protruded more than an inch out of leg

(Newser) - Hiking alone has its disadvantages, and experienced climber, rafter, and trail runner Gregg Hein got up close and personal with most of them earlier this month. Two days into a solo hike in the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks near Fresno, Calif., his footing set loose a boulder that...

Taxes to Eat Half of Couple's $10M Gold Find

Calif. find will be taxed at the highest rate

(Newser) - The $10 million stash of gold coins a couple in California found while walking their dog is a big bonanza for Uncle Sam, tax experts say. Most of the money they make from selling the coins will be taxed at the highest level, meaning state and federal taxes will eat...

Couple Finds $10M in Gold Coins on Dog Walk

The 1800s coins were buried on their property in northern California

(Newser) - That was some dog walk. A couple in California's Sierra Nevada region out for a stroll on their own property unearthed an estimated $10 million in US gold coins from the 1800s, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . It's thought to be the most valuable such hoard ever found...

NASA: We'll Launch Astronauts in 5 Years

Three commercial companies will build new crafts

(Newser) - NASA is gearing up to again launch humans into space ... within five years. The agency retired its fleet of shuttles last summer, and this morning it announced a deal worth about $1 billion with three American companies to design and construct the next generation of rocket ships to take off...

Turbulence Blamed for Fossett Crash
Turbulence Blamed for Fossett Crash
Jul 10, 2009 3:52 AM CDT

Turbulence Blamed for Fossett Crash

Plane didn't malfunction, NTSB investigators conclude

(Newser) - Investigators have determined that the crash that killed Steve Fossett was most likely caused by sudden turbulence, the BBC reports. An NTSB probe concluded that there was no malfunction with the adventurer's plane, and that an "inadvertent encounter with downdrafts" caused him to lose control of his aircraft in...

Warming Will Wipe Out Calif. Agriculture: Energy Sec.

Top US producer faces disaster without swift action on climate change

(Newser) - Energy Secretary Steven Chu sees dire effects of global warming, particularly on his home state of California, he tells the Los Angeles Times. Some 90% of the snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains, a vital storehouse for water used in farming and cultivation, could disappear, he said. “We’re...

Calif. Faces Worst Drought Ever
 Calif. Faces Worst Drought Ever 
Jan 30, 2009 3:45 PM CST

Calif. Faces Worst Drought Ever

With snowpack well below normal, state likely to face water rationing, higher food prices

(Newser) - With winter precipitation lagging well below normal, California officials say residents should prepare for the state’s worst drought on record, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The snowpack in the Sierra Nevada—the state’s main water supply—is at just 61% of normal after an unusually sunny and dry...

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