A cold system picking up a little moisture from the Pacific Ocean is sweeping into Northern California, bringing a bit of rain and snow today with a promise of greater amounts on Sunday and Monday.
Already, the weather system from the Gulf of Alaska has brought about three inches of snow to the 6,000 foot level of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Chain controls were in effect on Interstate 80 as Caltrans snow plows worked to keep the freeway open.
But wait, it gets a little better, later, for the thirsty valley. "Sunday night into Monday morning is when we will get the rain in the Sacramento Valley," said National Weather Service meteorologist Johnnie Powell. "Looks like we will get less a quarter of an inch of rain."
More snow is forecast for the mountains on Sunday and Monday, perhaps five inches on Sunday night, said Powell. He said he would not be surprised to see five to seven inches at ski resorts.
"It will stay cold the rest of the week with the chance of showers," said Powell. "But there won't be any big gushers."
Donna Jones, dispatch supervisor for Caltrans at Kingvale, elevation 6,000 feet, said crews were called in to handle any snowfall. On Saturday, light snow had fallen and chain controls were in effect from Kingvale to just past Truckee on Interstate 80.
The Caltrans communications center at Kingvale dispatches plows, blowers and other equipment on I-80 from Newcastle to the state line.
On Highway 50, chains were required from just west of Kyburz to Meyers. "Crews are out there plowing," Jones said. "Things are looking good. We have not had hardly any accidents. That means people have slowed down and they are taking their time."
And that's a good thing, as last year in California, 106 people were killed and 7,700 were injured in collisions that occurred either in rainy, snowy or foggy conditions.
Ahead of this weekend's wet weather, the California Highway Patrol provided a few safety tips for motorists.
-- Make sure windshield wipers are in good condition and use headlights when it is raining.
-- Reduce speed.
-- In the fog, drive with low beams on. Don't stop on the highway unless it is an emergency.
What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com
Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)
Here are some rules of the road:
• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "report abuse" button to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand. If you want to discuss an issue with a specific user, click on his profile name and send him a direct message.
• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.
You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to feedback@sacbee.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.