SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Weather conditions forecast for the Sacramento region are calling for steady and heavy rain Friday with road flooding and lower visibility on the highways.
Several inches of rain will move in Friday and through the evening. Warmer air has been pulled into for higher elevations for Friday morning but colder air moves in and the Sierra will enter a much more serious amount of snow with impacts into the weekend and beginning of next week.
There will be a few lulls in the action like part of Saturday afternoon and evening, but rain chances linger into the beginning of next week with drier weather closer to Thanksgiving.
When
This next phase of the system will begin with light to moderate showers for the Sacramento and Stockton region as it moves with a more southerly trend for the day.
By the afternoon, the system will be very active with heavy rain, and heavy snow starting to drop in elevation.
Specifically, the commute time in the evening will have ponding on roads, slow drive times and likely crashes and spinouts.
Later Friday night, some of the areas to the west will see more clearing and snow becomes intense.
On Saturday, the region should see a bit of a lull later in the day but Sunday will see rain and snow pick up with chances lingering into Monday and for snow until Tuesday afternoon.
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Impact
We are looking at heavy rain in a confined area from about Sacramento-Stockton area to the north, and certainly much more for higher elevations.
Valley locations will see rain impacts and localized flooding. Flooding can range from creeks and streams which are more known areas to flood. Flooding can also occur with random drain clogging from leaves and trash.
For the Sierra, heavier rain will result in water into reservoirs and all major reservoirs in far Northern California are now coming up.
Snow becomes heavier for the weekend with a few feet for the passes and resorts. This will be beneficial for business and skiing but will hamper travel for trucks and passenger vehicles with slow driving times and closures that are possible during extreme periods of wind and snow and unsafe travel.
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Need
Travel is at the top of the list for preparations. Caltrans and others advise not to travel during the peak of the storm, which will happen at times during the day on Friday and Friday night.
In the Sierra Nevada, travel will be slower with spinout potential and lower visibility.
During stronger winds, power is threatened with limbs and trees coming down although this is for most not a high wind event in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys.
Keep an eye on creek and stream rises.
Large rivers will rise such as the Sacramento River. For the downtown location, the river will rise by about 10 feet and contain some debris in the water.
For those planning on Thanksgiving travel, keep watching the forecast and for road conditions especially for mountain areas for periods of safe travel.
It is looking like the active pattern will slow down closer to Thanksgiving.
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