CALIFORNIA, USA — After a mostly dry afternoon in the valley, more rain moved in Friday morning.
Rain will overspread the higher elevations and the valleys Thursday night. This will make roads wet for the morning commute. Some ponding on roadways and parking lots is possible, especially in areas with poor drainage.
Rain looks to taper off in the valley Friday morning, with off and on chances for the rest of the day. It likely won't be dry in Sacramento, Stockton, and Modesto all day, but it won't rain all day either.
However, it's a different story in the Coastal Range and Sierra Nevada. Heavy rain all day long for both mountain ranges, which will create heavy runoff and will likely cause street and stream flooding, along with flooding of typical flood-prone areas.
Snow levels will stay very high throughout the daytime, above about 8,000 feet, meaning even the highest passes on Interstate 80 and U.S. 50 will be seeing rain instead of snow. This is another reason why flooding is likely to be more of an issue with this storm than previous storms we've had this season, as rainfall at higher elevations means instant runoff instead of accumulating snow saved for later in the water year.
It'll also be quite windy Friday, especially in the valley and along the Sierra crest. Sustained winds of 15 miles per hour are possible in Sacramento on Friday, with gusts stronger than 25 mph.
In the Sierra, the strongest wind gusts could be well over 60 miles per hour, with some gusts approaching 100 mph possible. This will create for very dangerous driving conditions, and blowing rain will reduce visibility.
Heavier rain returns to the valley Saturday morning and lasts through the first half of the day. Drying skies could give way to clear skies by the time we ring in the new year, though some lingering showers in the valley and Sierra are possible.
The snow levels will drop late in the day Saturday and into the overnight hours, though snow – for the most part – will likely be done.
Sunday, January 1st, 2023, might very well be the only dry day of the next 10 as we're in the midst of a wet pattern in Northern California!
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