Expect up to 5 inches of rain as new atmospheric river arrives in Sacramento Valley

An atmospheric river that is expected to descend on Northern California Monday afternoon will bring strong winds, heavy snow and increased flood risk to the region over the next several days, according to the National Weather Service.

This system will be active in the area through Wednesday and will drop between 2 to 5 inches of rain in the Sacramento Valley, NWS meteorologist Cory Mueller said, adding that a flood watch will be in effect for the entire valley until 10 p.m. Thursday.

The foothills and lower mountain elevations will see 3 to 6 inches of rain, with some local areas getting 8 to 14 inches, the NWS said.

As of Monday morning, snow levels were between 4,000 and 5,000 feet but were expected to rise throughout the day and be above 5,000 feet by Tuesday, Mueller said.

A winter storm warning will be in effect through Thursday morning for elevations above 5,000 feet, Mueller said, adding that the weather system will move in Monday afternoon and continue to get worse.

Areas like Donner Pass, Echo Summit and Carson Pass will likely see 5 to 8 feet of snow, with lower elevations only seeing about a foot.

“We aren’t expecting a lot of accumulation below 5,000 feet,” Mueller said.

Driving conditions will be “pretty bad” and almost impossible in the higher elevations Tuesday and Wednesday due to wind and snow, Mueller said.

“It will be very dangerous,” he said.

A wind advisory will also be in effect for the entire valley until noon Wednesday, with gusts of up to 35 mph expected for Sacramento, Mueller said.

“It’ll get pretty breezy,” Mueller said. “Just north of here, we could see gusts of up to 50.”

The weather system will move out of the area Wednesday, Mueller said. While some snow showers are expected to linger in the mountains, Thursday is expected to be pretty dry in the valley.

After a brief reprieve Friday, Mueller said what looks to be a wetter weather system will bring more snow and rain to the region over the weekend but its overall effects are still unknown.

The NWS will be “keeping an eye” on it, Mueller said.

This story was originally published February 25, 2019 at 9:55 AM.