What’s next for Sacramento rain and river levels? Here’s the latest forecast
Rain, rain is in fact not going away.
Wet weather is sticking to Sacramento forecasts for the next few days. Rain is expected during the day Wednesday with a high near 52 degrees and wind gusts up to 34 mph.
You can expect 0.25 to 0.50 inches of precipitation, according to the National Weather Service. Rain will likely start again before 10 p.m. Lows are near 48 with gusts as high as 33 mph.
Flooding continues to be a concern for most of northern California, near Shasta County and the Coastal Range — areas parallel to the Pacific coast.
Thursday may be the only dry day in the week. It is expected to be mostly cloudy during the day with a high of about 61 and a low of around 49. There is a 30% chance of rain at night, amounting to less than 0.10 inches.
A regional flood watch is in place for the Sacramento area until noon Thursday.
Rain returns Friday with a 70% chance during the day and a 90% chance at night — including the potential for thunderstorms. Highs are near 58 with gusts up to 22 mph and lows are around 50.
What are the levels of Sacramento rivers?
Recent rains are filling up the Sacramento rivers.
Water levels at the Sacramento River at I Street Bridge, according to the California Nevada River Forecast Center, are at 26.6 feet, as of Wednesday morning. The monitor stage is 27.5 feet and the flood stage is 33.5 feet.
Levels are expected to stay steady following potential rain Wednesday with the forecast for noon Thursday staying at 26.6 feet. It may rise to monitor levels on Saturday, though forecasts can change quickly.
The American River at the H Street Bridge was observed well below monitor level Wednesday morning at 28.4 feet. Monitor level is 39 feet and its flood stage is 42 feet. It is not forecast to rise into monitor or flood levels.
The Cosumnes River in south Sacramento County at McConnell is sitting within the monitor stage, with 41.3 feet observed Wednesday morning. Its flood stage is 46 feet. The Michigan Bar monitoring location observed 8.3 feet, more than a foot into its monitoring stage. Its flood stage is 12 feet. As of Wednesday, these locations are not forecast to flood.
This story was originally published January 11, 2023 at 8:45 AM.