Sacramento storm update: Be prepared for more heavy rain, high winds and outages
Showers and thunderstorms were set to redevelop Sunday morning in the Sacramento region, with some areas seeing potentially strong rainfall by the afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
The weather service said the most likely time frame for wet weather was between noon and 8 p.m. More rain is in the forecast through Wednesday.
“When thunder roars, go indoors,” the weather service posted on its official Twitter account.
Potential conditions include heavy rain, lightning, hail, winds and isolated tornadoes, according to the weather service. Gusts of 45 to 65 mph were possible Monday night and Tuesday.
The weather service encourages residents to plan ahead, as widespread heavy rain will bring flooding concerns to portions of Northern California below 4,000 feet from Monday to Wednesday.
Precautions include avoiding driving on flooded roads, being aware of rising rivers, streams and creeks, and having an evacuation plan and emergency kit.
SMUD gears for the worst
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District, or SMUD, said in a news release Thursday that it was prepared for the latest round of winter storms.
“When storms knock out power, SMUD works around-the-clock to restore electric service as safely and as quickly as possible,” the release said.
In January, The Bee spoke with line foreman Alfonso Davila as he supervised power line repairs on Sutterville Road along Land Park. The repairs had come after a large tree fell during a storm and damaged a utility pole and 10 to 12 cross arms.
Davila said that he and his team had worked without stopping for about 16 hours.
The SMUD news release said the best items to have on hand for a storm include a fully charged cell phone, laptop or battery banks; flashlights; a battery-operated clock; extra batteries; a manual can opener; a supply of water; and a battery-operated radio for news reports.
Should the power go out, look to see if the lights are on at neighboring homes to gauge the size of the outage and report it at smud.org/outages or 888-456-7683.
Should you see a downed power line, SMUD says assume the line is “energized,” stay away and warn others to do the same and call 911 or 888-456-7683.
As of late Sunday morning, active outages in the greater Sacramento area included 173 customers affected in Carmichael.