Foggy start for much of Northern California; a little more rain and snow on the way

CBS News Sacramento

A storm that moved in late Sunday is expected to be slow-paced as low pressure near the coast slowly moves to our south, producing rain through Wednesday before clearing out.  

The valley and delta are in a Flood Watch from Sunday afternoon through Wednesday morning. 

Monday saw a slight chance of isolated tornadoes across portions of the Sacramento Valley and Central Valley, including Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, Yuba City, Roseville and Elk Grove. 

More showers arrived on Tuesday, with thundershowers forecasted in the afternoon. Gusty winds, small hail, and localized flooding were all possible impacts. 

 

Sierra snowpack

In just the past week, California has seen its snowpack increase by 10% due to several storms hitting the area. The northern Sierra snowpack sits at 100% of normal for today's date. 

By Brandon Downs
 

Chain controls dropped

Chain controls on Interstate 80 over Donner Summit were lifted at about 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, the CHP said. 

Caltrans' website also said there are no chain restrictions on Highway 50 in the Sierra as of 12:15 p.m.

By Brandon Downs
 

Foggy start

It's a foggy start to Wednesday for much of the valley.

The foothills and Sierra are still expected to see a little more wet weather on Wednesday.

By Cecilio Padilla
 

Chain controls back up

Drivers along Interstate 80 in the Sierra Nevada were again required to have tire chains on late Tuesday afternoon.

Caltrans said the chain controls were for the area between Kingvale and Truckee for both sides of the freeway.

Over on Highway 50, chains were not required for four-wheel vehicles, but larger trucks were being screened at Twin Bridges on the eastbound side and Meyers on the westbound side. Truck drivers must have maximum chains on hand to pass through.

For up-to-date road conditions on Sierra highways, go here.  

By Richard Ramos
 

Chain controls dropped

Caltrans says chain controls have now been dropped on Interstate 80 and Highway 50 in the Sierra. 

Officials are warning that conditions could still change throughout the day, prompting controls to go back up. 

By Cecilio Padilla
 

Snow

Snow is still hitting the high country on Tuesday morning, prompting chain controls on Highway 80 and Interstate 80. 

By Cecilio Padilla
 

Sierra highway closes

State Route 88 at Carson Pass in Alpine County has closed for avalanche control. Caltrans said Monday night that there is no estimated time for when the closure will be lifted.

#CarsonPass SR-88 in #AlpineCounty closed for avalanche control. No ETO at this time. Always use Quickmap.dot.ca.gov for traffic and road closure info. #Quickmap @CaltransHQ

Posted by Caltrans, District 10 on Monday, February 19, 2024

For up-to-date road conditions on Sierra highways, go here.  

By Richard Ramos
 

Sierra chain controls in effect

Chain controls were in place for drivers up and down the Sierra on Monday night.

For Interstate 80 travelers, chains were required for both sides of the freeway between Baxter in Placer County to Truckee in Nevada County.

Over on Highway 50, chains are required between Twin Bridges and Meyers.

The snow is expected to continue through the night.

For up-to-date road conditions, go here.

By Richard Ramos
 

More rain and snow on the way this week

More rain and snow are expected across the Sacramento Valley and Sierra Nevada through much of the rest of the week after a strong storm pummeled Northern California on Monday.

The storm began moving into the region on Sunday night. There were reports of localized flooding, including in Sacramento. Tornado warnings were also issued in parts of Plumas and Butte counties.

Scattered showers, storms, and snow across the Sierra continue through Monday night into Tuesday. We'll keep the rain chances in place through early Wednesday, but the bulk of the storm will have passed.  

By Richard Ramos
 

Tornado warnings issued

Late Monday afternoon, the NWS Sacramento issued a tornado warning for southwestern Plumas County and eastern Butte County in Northern California. The warning is expected to last through 4:30 p.m.

By Richard Ramos
 

Thunderstorms

Weak rotation was recorded in a storm cell near Willows in Glenn County early Monday afternoon.

There's a slight chance of tornadoes across the Sacramento Valley into the upper portion of the Central Valley.

The tornadoes, if they occur, are expected to be brief and relatively weak.

Strong thunderstorms are expected into Monday night. 

By Cecilio Padilla
 

Water rescues

Two people had to be rescued after they drove onto a flooded road in Sacramento County and got stuck. 

Officials say the incident is an important reminder about what they preach every storm: Turn around, don't drown. 

More details here: https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/2-people-rescued-after-driving-onto-flooded-sacramento-county-road-getting-stuck/

By Cecilio Padilla
 

Snow plowing

Snow plows are working overtime to keep high country roads open Monday morning. 

By Cecilio Padilla
 

Snow line

The rain is turning to snow at around the 5500' level in the Sierra so far Monday morning. 

CBS13 photojournalist Dave Grashoff is heading up to the high country to get a look at the conditions. 

By Cecilio Padilla
 

Chain controls

Chain controls are up along I-80 in the Sierra as of early Monday morning.

By Cecilio Padilla
 

Sunday night weather forecast

Here's a look at the latest forecast.

Click here to view related media.
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By Brandon Downs
 

Flood Advisory

A Flood Advisory was issued until 8 a.m. Monday for the Sacramento Valley, the delta and the Northern San Joaquin Valley.

The NWS says an additional 1-3 inches of rain is in the forecast for the area.

By Brandon Downs
 

Highway 88

Chain controls are in place on Highway 88 in Alpine County from Kirkwood to Red Lake Creek. Caltrans said all vehicles must have chains installed if they do not have four-wheel-drive with snow tires. 

By Brandon Downs
 

SMUD customers lose power

More than 15,000 SMUD customers lost power shortly before 9:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the utility company's website. This was reduced to about 4,000 customers shortly at 10:30 p.m.

Areas affected include South Natomas and Arden-Arcade. A large outage in the Rosemont area has been reduced to 12 customers. 

To check the latest on SMUD power outages, click here.

By Brandon Downs
 

Rain moves in

Heavy rain, strong winds and lightning have moved in in the Rocklin area.

By Brandon Downs
 

Sunday evening forecast

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Here's a look at the weather forecast Sunday evening.

By Brandon Downs
 

Causeway crash

A four-vehicle crash on westbound Interstate 80 at the Causeway caused a traffic delay Sunday night. The CHP said all three lanes were blocked at one point and were expected to be cleared by 9:30 p.m.  

The CHP added the preliminary cause of the crash was speeding in rainy conditions. 

No serious injuries were reported Sunday night.

By Brandon Downs
 

Chain control

Chain controls were dropped on Interstate 80 over Donner Summit on Sunday morning. But the CHP - Truckee is warning travelers of this next storm coming in, which could lead to more chain controls Sunday night and early into the week.

By Brandon Downs
 

Power outages possible

Due to the strong wind and heavy rainfall, CalOES is warning people about widespread power outages during the storm and after. 

For SMUD customers, they can visit the SMUD Outage Center or download the app to get the latest on power outages. SMUD also has some storm safety tips on its website.

For PG&E customers, click here to get the latest on power outages.

By Brandon Downs
 

Gusty winds

A Wind Advisory is in effect Sunday afternoon through 4 a.m. Tuesday. Winds could gust up to 50 mph in the valley and delta.

A High Wind Watch is in effect for the northeast foothills for Monday, with the strongest winds expected to come late Sunday evening and into late Monday morning.

By Brandon Downs
 

Sierra snow

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 4 p.m. Sunday to 10 a.m. Wednesday in the Sierra.

By Brandon Downs
 

Flood Watch

A Flood Watch is in effect Sunday through Wednesday morning for the Valley and Delta.

By Brandon Downs
 

Severe thunderstorms possible

On Monday afternoon and evening, there's a chance for severe thunderstorms in the Valley. 

The National Weather Service says this could bring brief tornados, large amounts of small hail, heavy rain, lightning and gusty winds. 

The timing for the severe thunderstorms is between noon and 8 p.m. Monday.

By Brandon Downs
 

Heavy mountain snow

The National Weather Service said periods of heavy mountain snow will create dangerous driving conditions through Wednesday morning. 

The NWS is urging people to be prepared for delays and road closures if in the Sierra.

By Brandon Downs
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