Rain, snow and howling winds hit Northern California as atmospheric river arrives
After an arctic blast over the holiday weekend missed the West Coast, a separate winter storm caused by an atmospheric river has reached Northern California, bringing powerful gusts, valley rain, mountain snow, flood concerns and a chance of thunderstorms.
Gusts up to 45 mph were recorded in Sacramento County early Tuesday, near Mather Airport, and up to 60 mph farther north in the valley, near Redding, according to National Weather Service data.
The weather service issued wind advisories and warnings for most of interior Northern California through 10 a.m. Tuesday, due to possible gusts of 40 mph to 50 mph across most of the Sacramento Valley.
Wind speeds that high can knock down tree branches or small trees, cause power outages and create hazardous driving conditions, the weather service advised. No widespread outages were reported as of 9 a.m., and gusts were expected to subside later in the day.
The weather service predicted that thunderstorms were possible Tuesday afternoon in the northern Sacramento Valley, including the Redding area.
Flood advisories were in place through 10 a.m. for eastern portions of El Dorado and Placer counties, including the Lake Tahoe area, as well as low-lying areas in the Bay Area.
The weather service also has a winter storm warning in place for the Sierra Nevada mountains through 10 a.m. Wednesday. Forecasts called for modest snow totals, of 1 to 3 inches, but Sierra winds could gust up to 70 mph.
Forecasts for South Lake Tahoe showed gusts up to 50 mph Tuesday morning, with heavy rain giving way to snow by the evening. Up to 3 inches of snow could accumulate near South Lake Tahoe by the end of the day, according to the weather service.
Mountain travel is highly discouraged, with long delays anticipated, the weather service said.
Rain expected most of this week in Sacramento
Rain was falling Tuesday morning in the Sacramento area, with a break expected Wednesday before more is forecast to fall Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The weather service said up to three-quarters of an inch may fall Tuesday, with amounts not yet settled for later in the week.
High temperatures near the capital will range in the 50s all week, with overnight lows in the 40s.
This story was originally published December 27, 2022 at 10:16 AM.
