Axios

A "potentially life-threatening," blizzard is slamming the Sierra Nevada with up to 12 feet of snow — making mountain travel "extremely dangerous to impossible" into the weekend, the National Weather Service warns.

The big picture: This "extremely potent" winter storm also threatens the higher terrain of Washington and Oregon, parts of the Great Basin and Rockies as well, per an NWS forecast discussion Friday.

For the first time, the number of international patents filed from inventors in China has surpassed applications from the U.S., according to a new report.

Why it matters: Patent data is a key indicator of science and technology prowess — and the economic and national security strength that come with it.

Texas' massive Smokehouse Creek Fire exploded into the state's second-largest wildfire on Wednesday after forcing the evacuation of residents and workers at a nuclear facility on Tuesday.

The big picture: The sprawling wildfire, burning from the Texas town of Stinnett into parts of neighboring Oklahoma, was 3% contained as it burned across some 850,000 acres on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.