Another storm heads for Northern California. Expect rain in the Valley, snow in the Sierra

Northern California, just recovering from a severe winter storm, is facing another which is expected to bring more rain and snow starting Sunday night.

On Saturday, chain controls were required over Interstate 80 over Donner Summit due to heavy snow — up to 10 inches at Sugar Bowl, according to the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office.

The new storm, which will last through Monday, won’t be as intense and will affect the central Sierra Nevada more than the northern range. NWS forecasters predict up to 2 inches of snow at Donner Pass and up to 3 inches at Echo Pass. Light snow is possible at elevations of 3,500 feet.

Further south, more snow is expected. Carson Pass, Ebbetts Pass, Sonora Pass and Tioga Pass could see between 4 and 6 inches.

As for the rest of the region, light showers are in the forecast. Sacramento is expected to see less than a tenth of an inch of rain, while South Lake Tahoe could see up to a quarter inch. Those mild rainstorms are predicted to hit the Sacramento region around 10 p.m.

Rain totals released Saturday by the weather service show that Sacramento Executive Airport received a tenth of an inch of rain over 48 hours during the previous storm.

The rain and snow should break temporarily on Tuesday, but more wintry weather will return shortly afterward.

“Dry weather returns with possible valley fog for Tuesday and Wednesday before another weak system impacts the region Wednesday night into Thursday,” NWS meteorologists wrote in a Sunday forecast discussion. “Showers will taper off during the day on Thursday. Models still are indicating a dry New Year’s Eve and dry most of New Year’s Day with another system moving into the region late New Year’s Day and night.”