Winter storm continues in Sierra after weekend of rain, snow in Northern California
Rain continues to fall throughout Northern California and the Sierra Nevada range is getting pounded with snow on Monday, as the current winter storm is now expected to continue through Tuesday morning.
It’s good news for a state in desperate need of precipitation after experiencing the driest February on record for several regions, including Sacramento.
But it’s bad news for anyone who had hoped to travel through the mountains, or who already did so and is perhaps aiming for a Monday return after an extended weekend.
Snow continues in mountains after weekend dump
The weekend’s snow storm, which by most forecasts was expected to subside later Monday, is now set to continue into Tuesday morning.
The National Weather Service advised Monday morning that the Sierra range will see about 10 to 16 inches of new snow fall between Monday and 11 a.m. Tuesday, with up to 2 feet possible locally, at higher elevation. Snow could also keep falling as low as the foothills, currently predicted to get 1 to 3 inches.
Highways have been seriously impacted. Highway 50 traffic was held near Echo Summit due to avalanche control early Monday, Caltrans said, but has since reopened. But it’s still slow going along powdery roads, with traffic being held at various times over the weekend and Monday morning due to numerous spinouts on each direction of Highway 50.
Tahoe-area ski resorts, many of which have closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, received close to 2 feet of snow between 8:30 a.m. Saturday and the same time Sunday, according to the NWS Reno office. Saturday was expected to be the storm’s heaviest day, and the NWS in weather warnings said the storm could drop more than 5 feet of snow above 7,000 feet, 2 to 3 feet above 6,000 feet and 1 to 2 feet between 5,500 and 6,000 feet.
How much has it rained in Sacramento?
The NWS recorded just over half an inch of rain at Sacramento Executive Airport over the weekend. Monday got off to a wet start, but the latest forecast for the day shows only about one-tenth of an inch is expected to fall.
Showers will lighten up around the capital and leave town by Tuesday night, though cool temperatures near the low 60s will continue through Friday.
After only “trace” recordings of precipitation at the city’s main weather station in February, an all-time low, Sacramento entered this past weekend with only 0.13 inches of measurable rain for the current month. All of it came during a patch of showers March 7.
