Rain in Sacramento expected to taper off, while Northern Sierra braces for more snow

The rain that began falling over the Sacramento early Saturday is expected to taper off later in the day, while a winter storm in Northern California will continue to grow and is expected to cause travel delays, said Robert Baruffaldi, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

Downtown Sacramento saw a sprinkling of rainfall early Saturday morning, with the agency expecting less than a tenth of an inch by the time the rain stops. Rainfall will continue until about 11 a.m. and begin fizzling in the afternoon, Baruffaldi said.

Sunday should be clear and sunny, with temperatures peaking at 60 degrees, the agency reported.

The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning for the greater Lake Tahoe region until 8 p.m. Saturday night at elevations over 6,000 feet, where about 1 to 2 feet of snow are expected.

Baruffaldi said snowfall is expected to increase as the storm pushes south. Donner Pass could see 6 to 8 inches of snow, while Echo Summit is expected to see 4 to 6 inches.

“It’s a good moderate snow storm moving through there,” he said. “The heavier stuff started to move through this morning and will continue later this afternoon.”

Chain controls were in place for cars and trucks at several locations along Interstate 80 by Monday morning, starting at Kingvale to Overland Trail, according to the Caltrans website. No chain controls were in place on Highway 50 as of Monday morning, though Baruffaldi expected snow to fall there later in the day, he said.

The National Weather Service warned of delays and slow travel on both highways throughout the day.

The detailed, 7-day forecast for the Sacramento region from the NWS:

Today: Rain, mainly before 11am. High near 62. South southwest wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. South wind around 7 mph.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. South wind 5 to 7 mph.

Sunday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 43. South southwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Monday: Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 61. Light and variable wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Monday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 38.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 66.

Tuesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 44.

Wednesday: A slight chance of rain. Mostly sunny, with a high near 67.

Wednesday night: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50.

Thursday: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64.

Thursday night: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50.

Friday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64.

This story was originally published November 4, 2017 at 10:12 AM with the headline "Rain in Sacramento expected to taper off, while Northern Sierra braces for more snow."