How much rain did Sacramento get last night? See rainfall totals, gust speeds
High winds and dumping rain marked the start of the Christmas holiday across the Sacramento Valley and Northern California.
Overnight, a strong atmospheric river system moved into California, pummeling the state with heavy rainfall and strong southerly winds, The Bee reported. The storm caused minor damage to vehicles in midtown Sacramento and a motorist in the Elk Grove area died after hydroplaning and crashing into a pole, according to previous reporting.
But the weather is not over just yet. The Bee reported high wind warnings persist throughout the area as winds are expected to pick up going into Wednesday evening. Additionally, Santa Claus’s sleigh may be welcomed to the area with more rain overnight.
Here’s what the Sacramento area received in the first half of the Christmas storm.
How strong did the wind get in Sacramento on Christmas Eve?
According to a National Weather Service report, wind gusts in the Valley reached as high as 77 miles per hour.
The top measurement was made around 1.8 miles east of Rosemont at 1:35 a.m., the weather service report said. In Sacramento County, the next highest wind reading was at Mather Field around 4:15 a.m., measuring 53 mph. Just northeast of Folsom, a wind gauge measured a 50 mph gust at 5:50 a.m.
In Placer County, winds exceeded 50 mph three times on Dec. 24. At Little Bald Mountain, winds read 60 mph at 6:20 a.m., while Blue Canyon and Foresthill saw 52-53 mph winds early in the morning.
El Dorado Hills had wind speeds up to 59 mph at Bald Mountain. In Placerville, the strongest winds hit 56 mph at around 3:30 a.m. Yolo County’s high winds were milder than other areas of the Valley. The highest measurement, near the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation’s headquarters, hit 52 mph at 2:30 a.m.
How much rain did Sacramento see on Dec. 24?
Sacramento County’s rainfall was relatively subdued compared to other areas of the Valley. The highest rainfall in the county measured 0.71 inches northeast of Citrus Heights. Arden Arcade and the Valleyview Acres neighborhood saw 0.67 inches of rain, while the Carmichael area got half an inch.
Elk Grove and Orangevale received just over half an inch and Fair Oaks saw 0.46 inches of rain. The weather service’s rain report did not include the city of Sacramento.
Placer County cities saw significant rain as of Wednesday morning. Rocklin measured 1.03 inches of rain, Auburn 1 inch and Roseville 0.82 inches. Lincoln measured 0.78 inches, while Colfax saw 0.63 inches of rain. The heaviest Placer County rainfall was measured at Onion Creek, which received nearly 2 inches of rain during the first wave of the winter storm.
Parts of El Dorado County got more than an inch of rain as of early Wednesday morning.
Folsom received an inch, while Owens Camp saw 1.16 inches and Granite Springs measured 1.23 inches of rainfall. El Dorado Hills measured 0.84 inches, Cameron Park got 0.76 inches of rain, Pollock Pines had just over half an inch and Placerville received 0.43 inches of rainfall.
Only one measurement was taken in Yolo County, in Davis. By 6 a.m. on Christmas Eve, the city had received 0.27 inches of rainfall.
How was the weather in the rest of Northern California?
Winds across the northern part of the state were not much higher than the capital region’s. The highest measured wind speed during the first wave of the winter storm was early in the morning in Butte County, at 80 mph.
Areas of Amador, Calaveras, Plumas, Shasta and Tuolumne counties measured wind gusts in excess of 70 mph on Tuesday and Wednesday, the report indicated.
Rainfall was much higher in certain areas of Northern California, particularly in the far north.
The storm walloped parts of Shasta County with more than half a foot of rain as of Wednesday morning. Shasta County was among Gov. Gavin Newsom’s state of emergency declaration, the governor’s office announced in a post on X.
Tehama, Tuolumne and Yuba County each received more than 2 inches, while Butte County’s Carpenter Ridge measured 3.07 inches of rainfall.
Fittingly for the Christmas holiday, rain showered Humbug Summit in Plumas County with 3.15 inches.
This story was originally published December 24, 2025 at 2:55 PM.
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