Storm Tracker Forecast: Rain, Wind, And Mountains Snow Continues

A winter storm is making its presence known in northern California for the next couple of days. Valley rain, winds, and heavy mountain snow will be a staple of this system over the next few days. We don’t expect rain totals or even a steady/constant rain like what we saw from the atmospheric river event a couple months ago, but we will see several feet of snow in the mountains. Because of this, a series of Winter Storm Warnings will be in effect for the Sierra, southern Cascades, and coastal mountains through Tuesday evening. In the Sierras, 2-5ft of snow will be possible with localized spots with upwards of 6ft of snow primarily for elevations above 3500ft. In the south Cascades, 1-3ft of snow will be possible for elevations above 4000ft with localized spots of 4-6ft possible. In the coastal mountains, 8-18 inches of snow is possible. Something to watch as the winter storm progresses will be the possibility of the snow level dropping to an elevation of 2000ft or less in some places by Tuesday. Which means the potential for flakes to fall may be seen on the highest elevations of the foothills and the valley. The exact details of this element of the storm are difficult to predict, but will be something to keep an eye on. Another major piece of the system will be the winds in the valley. For now, gusts up to 25mph are possible, but this will increase to around 50mph gusts on Monday. This has prompted a Wind Advisory to begin at 4am and last through 10pm. Now is the time to secure any decorations placed outside that may get damaged due to the strong winds. In terms of rain, flooding is not expected even with 1-3 inches of rain possible in portions of the valley given the longer time period of the winter storm. When it comes to the temperatures in the valley, this is a cold system, which will keep our high temperatures from reaching the 50s for most of the week. Some places may struggle to reach the mid 40s on the days with chances for rain. The last thing we will be watching is development for another system to move in by mid-week. A brief break is possible Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday as another system may take advantage of the cooler air. We could see a chance for some snowflakes to reach the Redding area while most places will barely reach the low 40s for highs with lows approaching the freezing mark by the end of the week. For the end of the week, we will remain cool, but dry as temperatures return to the low 50s, however some frosty conditions are possible in the overnight hours.