Rain, snow and powerful winds headed to Northern California this weekend. See the forecast
After a storm brought snow flurries to Northern California, more rain, snow and chilly temperatures are headed to the region.
The wintry weather comes just in time for the Martin Luther King, Jr., Day holiday weekend.
A new storm system will arrive in the Tahoe area on Friday night and continue through Saturday night, according to the National Weather System.
“Heavy mountain snow will create major travel impacts over the Sierra and southern Cascades” on Saturday at elevations above 6,000 feet, the National Weather Service wrote in a Friday morning post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Travel is highly discouraged,” the agency added, urging would-be travelers to “winterize your vehicle, pack an emergency kit (and) check road conditions before you go.”
A storm system will bring rain and mountain snow to the region starting this evening with the majority of precipitation falling tomorrow. If traveling into the mountains, expect major travel impacts due to snow. Here's a look at the potential timing! #Cawx pic.twitter.com/sZO7TF76vf
— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) January 12, 2024
When does winter storm warning take effect?
On Thursday evening, the National Weather Service upgraded its winter storm watch for the greater Lake Tahoe area to a winter storm warning.
The warning will be in effect from 1 a.m. Saturday to 4 a.m. Sunday, the weather service said.
It covers an area including the cities of Stateline, South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe City, Incline Village, Truckee, Glenbrook and Markleeville.
The weather service predicted “heavy snow” with snow accumulations of 1 to 5 inches at the lake level, 6 to 14 inches between 7,000 and 8,000 feet, and 12 to 22 inches above 8,000 feet.
There will be wind gusts as high as 40 mph at lower elevations, ramping up to 95 mph along the Sierra Nevada mountain ridges, the weather service said, while waves on Lake Tahoe will reach as high as 2 to 4 feet.
“Roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will likely become slick and hazardous,” the weather service warned. “The hazardous conditions may impact the weekend ski commutes. Strong winds may cause blowing snow at times with limited visibility.”
What’s the weather forecast for Sacramento?
Rains showers are forecast to start in the Sacramento area around 2 p.m. Saturday and continue until Saturday night, according to the Weather Service’s five-day forecast.
Sacramento is expected to see a half inch to three quarters of an inch of rain in total.
High temperatures will be in the lower to mid 50s through the week, according to the forecast, while low temperatures will fluctuate between lower 40s to upper 30s.
On Friday night temperatures lows will hit 43 degrees and Saturday night temperature lows will be at 44 degrees.
On Sunday and Monday, the Sacramento area will see partly sunny skies with highs in the lower 40s and lows of 39 degrees.
How much snow will Tahoe get?
According to the Weather Service, the northern Sierra will be “significantly impacted” by the weekend storm and will receive 1 to 2 feet of snow above 6,000 feet
Snowfall will begin Friday night and continue into Sunday morning, according to the agency’s five-day forecast.
Snow levels will start at 3,000 to 3,500 feet on Friday evening, said Idamis Del Valle-Shoemaker, National Weather Service meteorologist.
On Saturday, snow levels will rise to 4,500 to 6,000 feet in the Tahoe area, she said.
High temperatures in the Tahoe area will hover in the mid to upper 30s during the weekend while lows are forecast to dip into the mid to lower 20s, according to the five-day forecast.
On Friday night, the mercury is expected to dip to 26 degrees, while the low predicted for Saturday night is 29 degrees, then
The mountains will see a low of 24 degrees on Sunday, and Monday will have a low of 25 degrees.
The Weather Service is predicting high gusts of wind that could potentially reach 50 mph along Interstate 80 and the Highway 50 corridor.
Del Valle-Shoemaker warned that the heavy winds and snowfall could bring a “significant reduction in visibility” to the Sierra, especially for those traveling up the mountain.
Avalanche watch issued for greater Tahoe area
On Friday, the Sierra Avalanche Center in Truckee issued a backcountry avalanche watch for parts of the Sierra Nevada, the National Weather Service said.
The avalanche watch will be in effect starting from 7 a.m. Saturday to 7 p.m. Sunday.
The watch covers the central Sierra Nevada mountains between Yuba Pass on Highway 49 on the north and Ebbetts Pass on Highway 4 on the south, including the greater Lake Tahoe area, The Sacramento Bee reported Friday.
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