After a sunny Sunday, Northern California weather will turn nasty this week
Enjoy another sunny weekend day. Another storm is on the way.
Clear skies were in store for the Sacramento region on Sunday, with some light snow showers possible in the Sierra later in the day. Those won’t amount to much and should not result in any travel delays, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Katrina Hand.
By late Monday, conditions will take a turn for the worse.
A “stronger winter storm” with “widespread precipitation” is expected to arrive in Northern California late Monday, Hand said. Rain will likely arrive in the Sacramento region late Monday or overnight into Tuesday.
The heaviest rain will drench the region Tuesday, driven by wind gusts out of the south up to 35 mph. The steady rain will slow to showers early Wednesday. By the end of the storm, the region is expected to receive an inch to an inch and a half of rain, Hand said.
The storm system will drop 2 to 4 feet of snow in the Sierra, with “difficult to impossible travel conditions” between late Monday and Wednesday, Hand said.
A strong winter storm arrives tomorrow afternoon, bringing widespread precipitation back to interior NorCal. Heavy snow is expected in the mountains with light snow possible down in Redding Tues AM when snow levels are locally lower. Take advantage of today to prepare! #CAwx pic.twitter.com/5TxibzVELi
— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) March 26, 2023
Clear weather should return Thursday and Friday. “There are some hints of potentially more precipitation next weekend,” Hand said. “That’s still several days away so we’ll have to take a closer look once we get closer.”
Next weekend is the beginning of April. And while the region is approaching what is typically the end of the wet season, it’s not uncommon for Northern California to receive some rain and snow this time of year, Hand said.
The wet weather over the past several weeks has done wonders for the state’s drought conditions. Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted many emergency drought measures on Friday, and water agencies serving 27 million people will receive increased supplies.
The state’s two largest reservoirs — Shasta and Oroville — are both above their historical average level for this time of year. Several smaller reservoirs in the region, including Folsom, New Bullards Bar and Camanche, are also above the historical average.
