Afternoon thunderstorms possible, Sierra travel still tough as storm winds down
Snowy and icy conditions remain along Sierra highways Thursday morning as this week’s storm in Northern California is beginning to wrap up before a clear weekend.
The heaviest rains and thunderstorms Wednesday led to localized flooding east of Redding in Shasta County. Parts of Highway 299 were inundated, and a flash flood warning that went initially in place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. has been extended nearly 12 hours, through 7:45 a.m. Thursday, National Weather Service says.
More isolated thunderstorms are possible throughout the valley Thursday, including in Sacramento, most likely in the afternoon.
Mountain highways still ‘extremely icy’
Snowfall heavily impacted traffic on Interstate 80 Wednesday evening, turning traffic around at times due to spinouts, Caltrans said. Photos from traffic cameras showed near-whiteout conditions near the Donner Summit.
Chain controls remained in place on I-80 between Truckee and Kingvale as of 7 a.m.
The week’s forecast warned of 1 to 3 feet throughout the mountains between Monday and Thursday morning, and the bulk of it fell Wednesday. Snow levels will be between 4,000 and 5,000 feet Thursday.
Less than 2 inches of new snow are expected Thursday and Friday for most of the Sierra range, NWS forecasts show.
Placer County Sheriff’s Office in a tweet said highways and roads are “extremely icy,” leading to delays for mountain travelers.
A winter storm warning remains in effect through 11 p.m. for most of the mountains including Lake Tahoe with snow showers along the western slope of the Sierra in Nevada and Plumas counties today into tonight, NWS said.
Thunderstorms possible this afternoon
Less than a quarter-inch is expected Thursday during off-and-on showers, but a thunderstorm could boost that amount. The latest NWS forecast for Sacramento has a high of 63, with wind gusts up to 18 mph possible in the afternoon.
Precipitation totals fell on the lower end of predictions for Wednesday in the Sacramento area, as thunderstorms mainly hit further north of the valley. Most of Sacramento got between a quarter and a third of an inch of rain, local monitors show.
Sacramento will heat back up to the low 70s Saturday through Monday, though the beginning of next week is expected to see more light showers pass through.
This story was originally published March 28, 2019 at 7:15 AM.
