Rain dissipating over Sacramento but heavy snow in Sierras will last until Friday morning
A winter storm that dumped more than a quarter-inch of rain across the Sacramento Valley and made travel difficult across Northern California on Thursday morning will give drivers a reprieve this evening, forecasters said.
But officials said snow in the higher elevations should give drivers pause, as they began turning motorists around along Interstate 80 at Colfax.
The National Weather Service said Thursday afternoon the unsettled air mass will continue to dump rain throughout Sacramento and bring snow for to Sierra foothills through the night. Forecasts also say white out conditions are likely to persist at the higher elevations as up to 3 feet of snow falls through Friday morning.
Through 3 p.m. Thursday, rain gauges operated by Sacramento County showed more than .40 inches of rainfall since midnight has fallen in the Arcade Creek area of Arden Arcade, as well as in Rio Linda and south in the Delta region including Walnut Grove and Sherman Island. Auburn AIrport has received .63 inches, the most in the region.
“It shouldn’t be too terrible (for the rest of) today,” Cory Mueller, a meteorologist with the NWS, said of valley conditions. “We may see a few scattered showers. I wouldn’t expect high impact or heavy rain for the evening.”
However, high wind could be problematic in some spots near Sacramento International Airport, Caltrans said.
Chain controls and closures
According to the state Department of Transportation, chain controls are in place for both directions of Highway 80 from Colfax to the Nevada state line, Interstate 89 from Truckee to Sierraville, as well as Calpine to the Plumas County line. Chain controls are also in place on Highway 50 along Point View Drive.
The NWS said travel was highly discouraged on Thursday, citing citing likely chain controls and road closures, with the possibility of near white out conditions. Meteorologists with the NWS also predicted a snowfall of one to two feet for elevations between 2,000 and 3,000 feet.
“Were seeing the heavy snow in the mountains right now. Travel over the Sierras is pretty terrible, and will continue through evening. sierra travel will be very poor and dangerous. Snow will lighten up tonight, with a few lingering showers. Most of activity will be done by daybreak,” Mueller said.
CHP’s Gold Run unit said that multiple vehicles attempted to avoid chain controls on Highway 80 by taking backroads, leading to multiple spinouts which have blocked roadways and pulled CHP resources from the main thoroughfares. CHP said that the controls are unavoidable are discouraging motorists from attempting to bypass chain controls.
At approximately 2:45 p.m. Caltrans said that all eastbound traffic on Interstate 80 at Colfax was being held due to multiple spin outs. Caltrans cameras showed eastbound traffic at a standstill before officials said at 3:30 p.m. they’d begin turning cars around to head down the mountain.