Sacramento got more rain Sunday than past 6 months combined. Another storm is coming
The weekend rainstorm across Northern California has continued into Monday morning, with Sacramento getting soaked to start the week.
The National Weather Service says about a half-inch could fall near the capital during the day, with a chance of showers continuing through the night and for most of the week.
Latest visible satellite loop for West Coast
By 7 a.m., Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol had already reported a number of spinouts and collisions on Sacramento-area freeways, as well as flooding on some ramps, slowing morning traffic for commuters returning to work after a holiday weekend.
Meanwhile, the NWS has a winter storm warning in place throughout most of the Sierra Nevada range, as snow continues to fall above about 6,500 feet.
Next CA storm coming soon
The NWS is advising that a “strong, wet” system should reach Northern California by Friday or Saturday, bringing another round of moderate to heavy rainfall across the Sacramento Valley.
The rain won’t go away before then. The latest NWS forecasts show about a 30 percent to 50 percent chance of showers each day Tuesday through Thursday in Sacramento, with a possible short respite Wednesday night.
The forecasts also show a very steady pattern of mild temperatures: Sacramento is expected to reach highs between 58 and 60 degrees Monday through Friday, with overnight lows staying between 46 and 48 degrees.
‘Major’ delays in Sierra as snow continues
The NWS, Caltrans and the CHP continue to strongly discourage mountain travel as snow has accumulated while continuing to fall through Monday evening.
According to the weather service’s winter storm warning, between 3 and 8 inches of snow are expected to fall above 6,500 feet in the Sierra mountains between Monday morning and 6 p.m. At higher peaks, up to a foot of new snow could fall.
The warning says this could create “near white out conditions at times.”
Conditions were so severe that the Sierra Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning, which went into place at 7:15 a.m. Sunday and expired at 7 a.m. Monday.
CHP’s Truckee office has reported numerous chain control restrictions in place since Sunday evening along Highway 50 and Interstate 80.
Along with rain, the upcoming storm later this week is expected to bring moderate-to-heavy snow at elevations above 5,000 feet starting by about Friday or Saturday. Lighter snow could continue to fall midweek, above 7,000 feet Tuesday and above 6,000 feet Thursday.
How wet has the past week been?
Nearly an inch of rain fell Sunday at Sacramento Executive Airport for a wet start to December, according to the NWS.
How wet was it? Sunday’s precipitation totaled more than the previous six months combined: 0.94 inches of rain fell Sunday, compared with about 3/4-inch between late May and Nov. 30.
The weather station at Sacramento Executive Airport recorded 0.65 inches for November, all coming in the last five days of the month.
The NWS says the storm that peaked over the weekend resulted from an atmospheric river system.
Latest doppler radar loop for Northern California
This story was originally published December 2, 2019 at 7:21 AM.
