Nearly a foot of snow fell in Sierra and another storm is coming, weather service says

After dumping nearly a foot of snow over the peaks of the Sierra Nevada, the winter storm that recently rolled into Northern California is still active.

The National Weather Service’s Sacramento office reported the highest overnight snowfall at Donner Summit, where 10 inches fell in a span of 24 hours.

Kingvale also saw 8 inches of snow, while Soda Springs and Sugar Bowl both reported 9 inches. Early Saturday morning, conditions were treacherous enough for traffic to be temporarily held on eastbound Interstate 80 after several spin outs, according to Caltrans. Chains are currently required on both I-80 and Highway 50 over mountain passes due to the inclement conditions.

The winter weather advisory issued Friday by the National Weather Service will be expiring Saturday morning, but precipitation is likely to continue, along with a potential for rain showers in the Valley.

“Mountain snow and Valley rain showers will continue through early Saturday as a weak system impacts the region,” NWS meteorologists wrote in a Saturday forecast discussion. Although the Valley is mostly dry, snow is still falling over the mountains, where driving conditions remain hazardous.

“A renewed chance for showers returns late Sunday into Monday,” NWS officials added.

The system heading in on Sunday is expected to be rather weak. Potential rain in the Valley is predicted to remain light, although snowfall in the mountains may prove more serious. The NWS warned in its forecast discussion of possible “travel impacts associated with accumulating snowfall.”

In general, forecasters say, the storm should be about the same in intensity, or perhaps even less intense than the winter storm currently ongoing.

By Tuesday, however, things should clear up. Dry weather and warmer weather should return by the middle of the week. Saturday’s high is expected to reach 63 degrees in Sacramento, while South Lake Tahoe may only rise to 38 degrees.