Winter Storm Warning for Northern California
Sacramento is bracing for a wet Christmas weekend. The first series of winter storms made their way into Northern California with rain and snowfall earlier this week.
Forecasters say precipitation will bring snow to the Sierra Nevada and rain to the Valley. The Sierra is expected to get one to five feet of snow and up to eight feet in higher elevations. There is also a chance of snow for the lower elevation, including along Interstate 5 north of Redding. The winter storm is expected to last through the holiday weekend.
Rainfall Totals for the Valley
Northern California has already had over 11 inches of rain since October this year. If the weather forecast holds true, we could face another two to three inches of rainfall in the next ten days. Thursday, Friday, and Sunday all have periods of snow and heavy rain in the forecast.
This means Sacramento can see 2.7 inches of rain, Stockton can get 2.4 inches and 2.7 inches for Modesto. Sonora will see more at 3.9 inches, Placerville will get 3.8 inches, and Grass Valley could see up to 3.6 inches of rainfall.
Hazardous Mountain Conditions
With many people traveling this holiday weekend, the National Weather Service (NWS) warns that conditions in the mountains could be hazardous. Heavy snow and gusty winds will make it difficult, even dangerous, to travel through the Sierra Nevada this weekend.
Caltrans officials recommend that people delay their travel plans or push back their holiday gatherings. They say if you do need to travel through the area, be prepared for chain control and major delays on Interstate 80 and Highway 50. They recommend having an emergency kit in your vehicle.
Winter Storm Warning in Effect
A strong winter storm will likely dump about 80 to 100 inches of snow in the Sierra next week and bring a lot of rain into the Sacramento Valley.
The impact of the storm will be spread out over this week and into the following Monday, December 27. However, with heavy travel expected around the holiday weekend, more people may be affected than usual.
What to Expect on Christmas Day
Expect more rain and mountain snow on Christmas Day. Wet conditions with areas of poor visibility are also expected. Rainfall totals will be about half an inch to an inch in the Valley, while the Foothills can see up to one and a half inches. Snow levels will drop to about 4,000 feet, and snowfall rates will become more intense. Road closures are most likely to happen.
Watch YouTube Video: Winter Storm: Northern California Braces for Several Rain-Filled Days. The news clip from ABC10 below explains what we can expect from this winter storm in the next few days.
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