Winter storms in the western U.S. could bring up to 15 feet of snow to California

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Some parts of California could see up to 15 feet of snow in the coming days as winter storms continue to bring heavy rain and mountain snow to the West.

"A series of Pacific storm systems will bring a prolonged period of heavy precipitation to parts of the West this week. Very heavy snow -- measured in feet -- will fall from the Sierra to the Great Basin, while heavy rain is expected in coastal sections of California and the Pacific Northwest," the National Weather Service said in a statement. "Flooding will be a concern by later this week into the weekend as additional storms come ashore."

WeatherBell meteorologist Ryan Maue said up to 15 feet of snow could bury portions of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the next nine days. The National Weather Service has issued several weather warnings from central to north California, including winter storm warnings, avalanche warnings, flash flood warnings and hard freeze warnings.

Winter weather will also target the southeast, where snow could fall in the cities of Jackson, Miss.; Birmingham, Ala.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Atlanta; Charlotte, Winston-Salem and Raleigh, N.C.; and Richmond, Va., on Friday and Saturday.

Central Alabama, northern and central Georgia, western North Carolina and southwestern South Carolina are under a winter storm watch, where inches, not feet, of snow could disrupt traffic.