Updates regarding the highly anticipated weekend weather system’s last wave, which is expected to affect the area later this afternoon and last until Monday morning, have been released by the National Weather Service. This wave is beginning to move into the California coast, according to satellite and radar studies. The onset of the wave is predicted to occur in the Sacramento region between 6-7 pm PST.
The most precipitation is expected to fall between tonight and Monday morning, with rainfall projections staying in line with the earlier prediction. In the foothills and mountains, expect 3–4 inches, while valley sites could expect 1-2 inches. A wide area of moderate rainfall (0.25″-0.50″/hr rates) is predicted by high-resolution models for today evening, with the potential for several hours of rain. today suggests the need to take short-fused flood products into consideration in order to emphasize the flooding risks.
It only takes six inches of swift-moving water to sweep a car away, so drivers are advised to drive carefully and to turn around if they come across flooded streets.
After momentarily falling to about 5,000 feet this morning, snow levels have already risen to 6,000–6,500 feet. The predicted amount of snowfall is still 8–16 inches above 6,500 feet and up to 2 feet around mountain tops. There is a Winter Storm Warning in place until Monday at 10 p.m.
Along with the precipitation, there have been persistently windy conditions throughout the area. This evening in the Valley, the gusts reached a maximum of 30-35 mph. The National Weather Service opted not to issue a wind alert, citing the likelihood of gusts above 40 mph by 20–40% but stressing that precipitation is predicted to have the primary impact.
It is anticipated that Monday afternoon will see a decrease in the widespread precipitation and strong gusts, with residual precipitation remaining in the foothills and mountains until Monday night. The likelihood of precipitation will decrease by Tuesday morning, and if clouds clear fast on Monday night, fog may develop over the Valley.