SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Two weather systems are giving us rain and snow this Christmas and for the next couple of days. The National Weather Service is warning of a winter storm that will bring widespread mountain snow and valley rain on Christmas, and a second storm will bring additional mountain snow and valley rain Sunday into Monday.
Significant travel delays are expected on I-80 and US-50 in the mountains due to heavy snow and gusty wind. Drivers should expect chain controls and road closures, especially Friday, at around 7 p.m. to Saturday morning around 3 a.m. because of heavy snow.
You can check to see if you'll need chains on the Caltrans website here.
We are expected to see a brief break in our forecast, both in the mountains and valley, late Saturday night through Sunday morning before another weather system moves in mid- to late-Sunday into Monday. We could potentially see three to six inches of snow in the mountains down to 3,000 feet in elevation.
Both weather systems are expected to bring rain to the valley for the next couple of days. The National Weather Service is calling for rain mainly after 4 p.m. on Christmas and a 30% chance of rain after 4 p.m. in the valley, with showers also likely after 4 p.m. on Sunday.
