Feet not inches: Major storm slams into Northern California this weekend
Weather officials are warning of a major winter storm in the region starting Friday and extending into Monday morning, with strong winds and rain in the Sacramento valley and snow in the mountains.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning starting 4 p.m. Friday, highly discouraging travel through the Sierra as snow levels will drop as low as 3,500 feet over the weekend and as low as 1,000 feet Monday.
Here’s everything you need to know about this weekend’s storm.
Timing
The rain started Friday afternoon with light showers in the valley and snow in the mountains. Wind is set to move into the region and windy conditions will remain until Saturday afternoon, the weather service said. The area is set to see moderate to heavy rainfall from Saturday to Monday.
High temperatures in Sacramento will remain in the upper 50s through the weekend, cooling down to a high of 51 Monday with a low of 37 Monday night. Showers will continue through Tuesday, the most recent forecasts say.
Impact
The NWS is forecasting that roughly 5 to 10 feet of snow will blanket the Sierras through Tuesday and 2 inches of rain will pelt the valley.
Snow has potential to fall at altitudes as low as 1,000 feet above sea level, NWS meteorologist Karl Swanberg said, a phenomenon that he said only happens “once or twice a winter.”
“Travel is going to be significantly affected starting tonight and heading into next week” Swanberg said.
Road closures
No roads are currently closed, though both Caltrans and the NWS urge drivers to avoid mountain travel due to the predicted severity of the storm, and noted that chain controls are anticipated.
Warnings
NWS Sacramento issued a flash flood warning for the Carr, Hirz and Delta fire burn areas, the Mendocino Complex burn area and the Camp Fire burn area from Saturday morning through Monday afternoon. Weather officials warned of heavy rains that could “generate life threatening debris flow” and recommended that residents move to higher ground if they notice debris starting to move.
“A debris flow of only a few inches deep can be powerful enough to move a vehicle off the road,” the alert warned.
A NWS wind advisory will be in place for Sacramento from 10 p.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday, with winds between 20 to 30 mph and gusts up to 50 mph. The NWS warned the wind will create difficult driving conditions, potentially downing tree branches and creating power outages.
NWS Reno issued a backcountry avalanche watch in the greater Lake Tahoe area, between Yuba Pass and Ebbetts Pass, effective 7 a.m. Saturday through 7 a.m. Tuesday.
This story was originally published February 1, 2019 at 5:24 PM.