Bomb cyclones? Atmospheric rivers? Both mean days of wet weather for Sacramento region
The bomb cyclone churning off California’s far north coast is ushering in a powerful atmospheric river storm poised to drench Northern California and the Sacramento region into Saturday.
The cyclone directed much of its power at Washington state and British Columbia, where hurricane-force winds killed a Washington woman and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands more people on both sides of the border, CNN reported.
The topline in the Sacramento region, said forecasters Wednesday at the National Weather Service in Sacramento: Look for a prolonged soaking from the strong atmospheric river storm in the valley and Sierra Nevada foothills — 48 to 72 hours’ worth — with mountain snows in the Sierra; rising snow levels and gusty southerly winds.
The heaviest precipitation and the highest impacts are expected north of Interstate 80, said National Weather Service-Sacramento forecaster Sara Purdue in her morning briefing.
The Sacramento area had gotten a glimpse of what was in store late Tuesday when wind-fed flames ahead of Wednesday’s system sparked a three-alarm inferno at a North Highlands apartment complex that displaced more than 40 residents.
By early Wednesday afternoon, light but steady rainfall gave a preview of the heavier precipitation to come. As much as 3 to 4 inches of rain is expected to fall in the Sacramento area into Saturday, with some of the strongest rains expected Friday, say forecasters.
But it’s in the mid- and northern Sacramento Valley, in Marysville and Yuba City; Chico and Redding, farther still, where much of the heaviest rain is expected over the next several days: 4 to 6 inches in Yuba and Sutter counties; as many as 10 inches in Chico and east in Quincy, in Plumas County; and up to 10 inches in Redding.
The weather service’s Purdue said that will mean enough rain to cause sharp rises on creeks, streams and rivers, along with issues during commutes including road ponding and slower drive times.
But dry soils will prevent widespread flooding, she said. Still, river forecasters expect several points and weirs along the upper Sacramento River to rise to monitor stage.
Sites in the Sacramento region including the Sacramento River at I Street in Sacramento, the Yolo Bypass; Michigan Bar on the Cosumnes River near Rancho Murieta; and the Feather River in Nicolaus in Sutter County, are well below monitor stage and well within their banks.
Farther upstream, the Sacramento River at Tisdale Weir in Sutter County is expected to peak at monitor stage on Sunday; while at the Tehama Bridge in Tehama County, the Sacramento River is expected to peak at monitor stage Friday afternoon.
The biggest threat is on the Redwood Coast, where the Eel River at Fernbridge in Humboldt County is expected to surpass moderate flood stage at 23 feet Friday afternoon.
Sacramento forecasters say a slightly weaker but colder weather system will follow Sunday into Tuesday. That will mean lighter rain amounts in the valley, but a snowmaker in the Sierra and the possibility of wet weather into the Thanksgiving holiday.
Snow levels will already have dropped to 4,000 to 5,000 feet by Saturday night with hefty snowfall totals expected beginning Sunday.
By next Tuesday night, National Weather Service forecasters expect up to 2 feet of snow at Blue Canyon, at 4,695 feet; some 30 inches of accumulation at Echo Summit at the 7,400-foot level; and as much as 4 feet at 8,000-foot Donner Peak.
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