With snowfall rates expected to exceed 3 inches per hour, whiteout conditions could make roads unnavigable, the National Weather Service’s (NWS) Weather Prediction Center warned on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. 

The forecasters cited a more than 70 percent chance of “long-lasting disruptions to daily life in the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada.”  

The incoming blizzard, expected to coat the mountains Friday through Saturday, could bring up to 5 feet of snow to the area, the NWS stated.  

The agency’s Reno, Nev., branch upped those projections even further, noting that localized snowfall totals could reach up to 8 feet.  

“Sierra travel will be extremely dangerous due to life-threatening blizzard conditions later this week,” NWS Reno stated.  

North of the Sierra, NWS Portland described “an active and unsettled weather pattern” across the Pacific Northwest, with mountain snow persisting through the weekend.  

Seattle forecasters affirmed these projections, anticipating multiple feet of snow over the Olympics and Cascades.  

While the worst of the winter weather will likely pummel these high-elevation regions this weekend, the rest of the West Coast will hardly be warm and dry.   

“We hate to be the bearer of bad news but the late week weather looks downright … unpleasant,” the NWS Bay Area posted on X.  

The branch forecasted rain totals of 1 to 2 inches for the Bay Area and Central Coast by the end of the week, as well as gusty winds, wet roadways and slower commute times.  

Likewise, NWS Sacramento warned of gusty winds throughout Northern California on Thursday and Friday, urging residents to stock up on necessities, deploy generators appropriately and disconnect electronics.  

Southern Californians will likely only encounter “minimal impacts,” with light to moderate rain falling on the coasts, valleys and foothills and possible snow at higher altitudes, according to NWS Los Angeles. 

Welcome to The Hill’s Sustainability newsletter, I’m Sharon Udasin — every week we follow the latest moves in the growing battle over sustainability in the U.S. and around the world.

Four types of extreme weather systems are costing the planet about $200 billion each year, a new report found.  

But these so-called “weather perils” — floods, tropical cyclones, winter storms and severe thunderstorms — are taking a particular toll on the economies of certain countries, per the survey. 

Intensifying extremes: The Swiss Re Institute, a Zurich-based reinsurance firm, set out to rank the 36 countries most at risk of property losses in an era of climate change-driven weather extremes.  

“Climate change is leading to more severe weather events, resulting in increasing impact on economies,” Jérôme Jean Haegeli, chief economist for Swiss Re, said in a statement.  

Investing in adaptation: Stressing that “adaptation fosters insurability,” Haegeli noted the insurance industry’s readiness “to play an important role by catalyzing investments in adaptation.” 

“The more accurately climate change risks are priced, the greater the chances that necessary investments will actually be made,” he added.  

Most at risk: Here are the top 10 countries most vulnerable to today’s weather perils, with their current annual economic loss — as a percent of their GDP: 

1. The Philippines: 3% 

2. The U.S.: 0.38% 

3. Thailand: 0.36% 

4. Austria: 0.25% 

5. China: 0.22% 

6. Taiwan: 0.21% 

7. India: 0.20% 

8. Australia: 0.19% 

9. Switzerland: 0.19% 

10. Japan: 0.18%  

The Philippines far outranked other nations, facing a combination of all four weather perils and high probability of exposure to hazard intensification, the authors found.  

Next in line, the U.S. loses about $97 billion each year — experiencing the greatest economic declines in absolute terms, they added.