More damaging winds and rain approaching Sacramento region. When will we get relief?

Yet another major storm is barreling down on the Sacramento region Sunday, with extreme winds, heavy rain and power outages expected to hit after midnight.

Rain should start falling across the region after 9 p.m., with the heaviest rain and wind expected between midnight and 10 a.m. Monday, according to Chelsea Peters, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Showers are expected to continue throughout much of Monday before tapering off in the afternoon. After a 12-hour break, “renewed rain and wind are expected early morning Tuesday through Tuesday afternoon,” Peters said.

Wind gusts Sunday night and early Monday could reach between 45 and 65 miles per hour, similar to squalls that hit the region late Saturday and knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses. More than 216,000 customers of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District remained without power Sunday afternoon.

Between 3 and 4 inches of rain are expected to fall in the Sacramento region by the time the storm eases Tuesday afternoon, Peters said.

Heavy snow is also forecast for the Sierra, with up to 5 feet expected to fall at Donner Pass and 4 feet at Echo Pass. “Travel is HIGHLY DISCOURAGED tonight - tomorrow morning due to heavy snow and rain and strong, damaging winds,” the weather service wrote in a tweet.

Some relief might be on the way.

Another atmospheric river is expected to hit California mid-week, but the biggest consequences should be well north of Sacramento. “Overall the impacts are going to be pretty minor (near Sacramento),” Peters said.

More precipitation is expected in Northern California on Friday and Saturday. But the rain and wind should not be nearly as disruptive as the last few storms.

This story was originally published January 8, 2023 at 3:20 PM.