Storm forecast: Damaging winds, bursts of rain, heavy snow in Northern California on Christmas week
High winds and bursts of heavy rain will come in waves Tuesday night through Thursday. Heavy snow will finally start to pile up in the Sierra Wednesday.
LIVE AT 10 P.M. AND THANKS FOR JOINING US TONIGHT AT TEN. I’M KURTIS MING AND I’M ANDREA FLOREZ. TONIGHT WE’RE BEGINNING TO SEE THE IMPACTS OF A STORM THAT COULD IMPACT YOUR HOLIDAY PLANS. THE STORM HAS THREE MAJOR FOCUSES THE POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING WIND STARTING TONIGHT AND ANOTHER ROUND COMING TOMORROW NIGHT. THE SIERRA IS GOING TO BE SLAMMED WITH SNOW. THE DAYS FOR THIS ARE CHRISTMAS DAY AND FRIDAY. AND THEN THERE’S RAIN. IT WILL COME IN SHORT BUT INTENSE BURSTS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS, AND WE’RE ALREADY STARTING TO SEE THE WIND AND RAIN PICK UP IN AMADOR COUNTY. THIS WAS THE SCENE IN PLYMOUTH LATE THIS EVENING. WE SAW THE WIND BLOWING FLAGS AND TREES AROUND BEFORE A LIGHT RAIN STARTED FALLING THERE. BOTH ARE EXPECTED TO INTENSIFY OVERNIGHT AND IT’S GOING OUT TO LIVE. TRACKER THREE OUT ON THE ROAD. SEEING THE CONDITIONS RIGHT NOW. AND YOU CAN SEE IN SACRAMENTO RIGHT NOW WE HAVE SOME WET PAVEMENT RIGHT THERE. BUT THE MAIN FOCUS TONIGHT IS GOING TO BE THE WIND. THAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN ON INTO TONIGHT ON INTO TOMORROW. THERE ARE TWO ROUNDS OF WIND THAT COULD CAUSE TREE DAMAGE AND EVEN OUTAGES. AND THAT’S SPARKING OUR KCRA THREE WEATHER ALERT DAY. LET’S START OUR COVERAGE WITH METEOROLOGIST HEATHER WALDMAN. AND AS YOU GUYS MENTIONED, WE ARE STARTING TO SEE THE WIND PICK UP. IT’S NOT A DAMAGING LEVELS, BUT IT’S GOING TO CONTINUE TO INCREASE UNTIL WE GET TO MIDNIGHT. AND THAT’S GOING TO LAST THROUGH EARLY TOMORROW MORNING. BUT WINDS ARE GUSTING OVER 25MPH THROUGH THE VALLEY, AND THE SIMILAR MARK THERE INTO THE FOOTHILLS. IT’S BEEN WINDIER IN THE SIERRA, BUT WE’RE GOING TO FLIP THAT LATE TONIGHT AND INTO EARLY TOMORROW MORNING BECAUSE THE FOCUS IS REALLY GOING TO BE THE VALLEY AND THE LOWER FOOTHILLS, ESPECIALLY ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE VALLEY, BECAUSE THIS IS SOUTH WIND THAT’S GOING TO FAVOR THE HIGHEST GUSTS ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE VALLEY. WHEN WE TALK A NORTH WIND, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THE HIGHEST GUSTS ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE VALLEY. BUT AS CURTIS AND ANDREA MENTIONED, TWO ROUNDS OF WIND THAT WE’RE WATCHING. THE FIRST IS COMING OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. PEAK WIND GUSTS WILL BE AROUND 50MPH. IT’S NOT GOING TO BE EVERYWHERE, BUT THERE WILL BE SOME SPOTS WHERE WE SEE SOME GUSTS CLOSE TO THAT 50 MILE PER HOUR MARK. NOW, DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS TOMORROW, THE WIND IS ACTUALLY GOING TO BACK OFF AND WE’RE GOING TO SEE QUITE A BIT OF DRY TIME IN THE VALLEY. BUT WE’VE GOT ROUND TWO OF WIND COMING WEDNESDAY EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. THIS ROUND, NOT ONLY IS IT GOING TO LAST LONGER, BUT THE WINDS COULD BE STRONGER WITH SOME AREAS SEEING GUSTS UP TO 60MPH. SO WE’LL BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR TREE DAMAGE. AND WE WANT YOU TO BE READY FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF OUTAGES TOMORROW MORNING. AND THEN AGAIN GOING INTO CHRISTMAS DAY. BACK TO YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANKS. WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR OUTAGES, WE ARE MONITORING THE SITUATION STATEWIDE RIGHT NOW, 6000 CUSTOMERS ACROSS THE STATE ARE WITHOUT POWER. NONE IN OUR AREA, BUT SOME IN SONOMA COUNTY AND SOME IN KERN COUNTY. AND WE’RE GOING TO SEE THE MOST DAMAGING WINDS IN THE FOOTHILLS. KCRA 3’S ANDRES VALLE IS LIVE IN EL DORADO HILLS TONIGHT. SO, ANDRES, HOW ARE PEOPLE GETTING READY? YEAH. WELL, ANDREA, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE STOCKING UP ON NECESSITIES THAT THEY NEED RIGHT NOW. CURRENT CONDITIONS IS JUST MOSTLY BREEZY AND SORT OF SEE. AND THAT FLAG OUT THERE IN THE DISTANCE AT THIS ACE HARDWARE STORE KIND OF BLOWING BACK AND FORTH, BUT NOTHING TOO CRAZY JUST YET. BUT AGAIN, A LOT OF PEOPLE WE SPOKE TO TONIGHT ARE WORKING ON GETTING READY FOR THE STORM FOR TOMORROW. ON THIS CHRISTMAS EVE EVE, ALL THROUGH EL DORADO HILLS, DECORATIONS ARE STANDING STILL. I GOT FAITH IN SCULLY. HE’S MADE IT THROUGH A COUPLE OF WINTERS WITH US ALREADY, SO I GOT FAITH IN HIM. THE HAT MIGHT BE GONE, BUT WE’LL GET HIM BACK. JOSH MCGEE SECURING HIS CHRISTMAS THEMED SKELETON BEFORE STRONG WINDS MOVE INTO THE AREA. HIS NEIGHBOR TOM SECOND GUESSING, PUTTING THE TRASH OUT THIS EARLY. I MIGHT BE PICKING UP GARBAGE IN THE MORNING. THE STRONG GUSTS ARE EXPECTED TO LAST THROUGH CHRISTMAS DAY, PUTTING THOSE WHO LIVE IN EL DORADO HILLS ON HIGH ALERT FOR THE POTENTIAL OF POWER OUTAGES. I HAVE GENERATORS AND EVERYTHING, BUT YOU KNOW, PG&E IS NOTORIOUSLY UNRELIABLE DURING THESE KIND OF SITUATIONS. THEY DON’T HAVE THE BEST TRACK RECORD OF KEEPING POWER ON. WE USED TO LOSE POWER A LOT, SO BUT THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS HAVE BEEN BETTER. SO HOPEFULLY THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN AGAIN THIS YEAR. BUT I KNOW UP THE HILL IT DEFINITELY GETS A LITTLE WORSE THAN DOWN IN EL DORADO HILLS, PG&E SAYS THEY ARE FULLY STAFFED AND HAVE CREWS IN PLACE TO RESPOND TO ANY OUTAGES AHEAD OF THE HIGH WINDS. EL DORADO HILLS IS MAYBE A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN UP THE HILL. WE LOSE POWER A LITTLE BIT MORE OFTEN. JEFF WEEKS WITH ACE HARDWARE SAYS THE STORE WAS STEADY WITH CUSTOMERS PREPARING FOR THE STORM. ANTICIPATE QUITE THE RUN THAT WE HAD, THE SHELVES ACROSS THE LIGHTING SECTION BARE TUESDAY NIGHT. JEFF SAYS THEY PLAN ON STAYING OPEN CHRISTMAS EVE FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT NEED ANYTHING DURING THE STORM. COME IN EARLY. GET THE THINGS THAT YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING TO NEED. BEING PREPARED WITH GENERATORS, CANDLES, LIGHTS, FLASHLIGHTS, HUGE THINGS, BATTERIES. WE HAVE ALL THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. AND YEAH, YOU CAN GET ALL THOSE KINDS OF THINGS HERE AT ACE HARDWARE STORE. THEY’RE ACTUALLY GOING TO STAY OPEN UNTIL 4:00 TOMORROW IN CASE YOU DO NEED ANYTHING. AGAIN, THOSE HIGH WINDS LIKE HEATHER MENTIONED ARE GOING TO BE CRANKING UP LATER ON OVERNIGHT INTO TOMORROW MORNING. AS OF RIGHT NOW, WE’RE JUST MEETING THAT BREEZY CATEGORY. BUT AGAIN, THOSE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO PICK UP LIVE HERE IN EL DORADO HILLS. I’M CASEY 3 NEWS. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. IN SACRAMENTO SMUD TEAMS HARD AT WORK TODAY PREPPING FOR THE STORM. THE RECENT RAIN COMBINED WITH THE WINDS WILL MAKE IT EASIER FOR THOSE TREES AND THOSE BRANCHES TO FALL. LINE CREWS ARE STANDING BY JUST IN CASE THE POWER GOES OUT. IF THERE ARE OUTAGES THEN WE START DEPLOYING FOLKS AND GETTING READY WILL BE STAGING FOLKS AS NEEDED. WE’RE GOING TO BOOST THE RESOURCES AND THE STAFF IN ORDER TO RESPOND. SMUD IS ASKING CUSTOMERS TO REPORT THOSE POWER OUTAGES BY PHONE OR THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE. NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT THE SNOW. WE COULD START SEEING CHAIN CONTROLS AS EARLY AS TOMORROW MORNING, BUT THE WORST TRAVEL CONDITIONS WILL BE ON CHRISTMAS DAY. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL BE HEAVY OVER THE SUMMITS, METEOROLOGIST HEATHER WALDMAN JOINS US AGAIN. SO, HEATHER, HOW MUCH SNOW ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? WE’RE TALKING FEET OF SNOW, BUT NOT UNTIL WE GET TO FRIDAY EVENINGS. IT’S GOING TO TAKE TIME FOR ALL OF THAT TO PILE UP. WE’RE STARTING TO SEE A LITTLE BIT OF PRECIPITATION OVER THE SUMMITS TONIGHT, JUST ENOUGH TO WET THE ROADS. SNOW LEVELS STILL UP AROUND 8000FT. SO THIS IS WHAT 80 LOOKS LIKE AT CASTLE PEAK. THESE ARE THE EASTBOUND LANES. CARS ARE MOVING ALONG. THE ROAD IS WET. IT’S BEEN BREEZY UP AND OVER THE SUMMITS. TOMORROW IS WHERE WE START TO SEE THAT SNOW LEVEL COME DOWN. IT’S HEAVIER ROUNDS OF PRECIPITATION MOVE INTO THE SIERRA. SO TOMORROW THE SNOW LEVEL IS LOW ENOUGH THAT YOU’RE GOING TO NEED CHAINS TO GET OVER DONNER SUMMIT ECHO SUMMIT AND OVER CARSON PASS. AS WE GO INTO THURSDAY, THE SNOW LEVEL FALLS TO 5800FT IN THE MORNING AND IT KEEPS FALLING THROUGH THE DAY DOWN TO EVENTUALLY BELOW 5000FT FOR FRIDAY, THURSDAY, THURSDAY’S OF THE DAY WHERE WE SEE THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL RATES FRIDAY. THINGS EASE UP A LITTLE BIT, BUT BOTH THURSDAY AND FRIDAY I’D SAY IF YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE DRIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS ABOVE 5000FT, IT’S BEST IF YOU JUST AVOID IT. LOOK AT THE NUMBERS HERE. 4 TO 6FT OF SNOW FOR DONNER SUMMIT, UP TO THREE FEET OF SNOW FOR KINGVALE. BLUE CANYON COULD SEE OVER A FOOT OF SNOW, WITH MOST OF THAT COMING LATE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. SO THE RESORTS ARE GOING TO BE IN GREAT SHAPE BY THIS WEEKEND, AND OUR SNOWPACK IS GOING TO BE LOOKING A LOT HEALTHIER TOO. BACK TO YOU, OKAY. AND CALTRANS IS OUT IN FULL FORCE WORKING TO KEEP THE HIGHWAYS OPEN. ONCE THE SNOW STARTS TO FALL. GULSTAN DART JOINS US NOW WITH A LOOK AT THE PREPARATIONS. YEAH GUYS, WE ARE EXPECTING HEAVY SNOW IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS ON CHRISTMAS DAY. JUST LIKE YOU SAW FROM HEATHER. AND WE ARE TALKING FEET IN SOME OF THOSE AREAS LIKE DONNER PASS, CALTRANS STAFFED AND READY TO RESPOND TO ANYTHING THAT POPS UP OVER THE HOLIDAY. THEY HAVE ABOUT 500 MAINTENANCE WORKERS, STAFF FROM THE SIERRA TO THE VALLEY. OUR CREWS, THEY’RE GOING TO BE FOCUSED. WE’RE IN STORM MODE NOW THAT THEY’RE CONSTANTLY GOING TO BE DOING THEIR LOOPS 24 OVER SEVEN, KEEPING THAT HIGHWAY CLEAR AND OPEN. BUT WE NEED THE PUBLIC TO BE ABLE TO DO THEIR PART AS WELL. AND BY BEING PREPARED, THAT’S JUST GOING TO HELP OUR CREWS THAT MUCH MORE. SO YEAH, IF YOU’RE HEADING OVER THE HILL AND PLANNING ON DRIVING IN THE SIERRA, MAKE SURE YOU’RE PREPARED. CALTRANS URGING PEOPLE TO BE STOCKED UP ON SUPPLIES, ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE BRINGING THE FAMILY AND BRING EXTRA BLANKETS IN CASE YOU HAVE TO WAIT OUT A CLOSURE. AND THEY SAY TO DRIVE SLOW. DON’T GET COCKY OUT THERE. AND WHEN CHAIN CONTROLS ARE IN EFFECT, THE SPEED LIMIT ON INTERSTATE 80, REMEMBER, IS 30MPH. AND ON HIGHWAY 50 IT’S 25MPH. REMEMBER TO DRIVE SLOWLY AND BE CAREFUL OF ROAD EQUIPMENT AND CREWS WHO ARE OUT ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. KEEP IN MIND, THERE’S GOING TO BE A LOT OF EQUIPMENT ON THE HIGHWAY. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE OUR PLOW TRUCKS OUT THERE. OUR GRADERS ARE GOING TO BE OUT. IF WE GET A LOT OF SNOW ON THE SHOULDER, WE MAY HAVE TO IMPLEMENT THOSE BLOWERS, WHICH PUSHES THE SNOW EVEN FURTHER. SO JUST BE MINDFUL OF THAT. BE VERY CAUTIOUS. YOU DON’T WANT TO PASS ANY OF THIS MOVING EQUIPMENT. GIVE YOURSELF PLENTY OF SPACE. SO YEAH, JUST COMMON SENSE. BUT REMEMBER CREWS ARE ALSO TODAY OUT PREPARING FOR THE SNOW BY CLEARING DEBRIS FROM DRAINS AND PUTTING BRINE OUT ON THE ROADS, ALL IN PREPARATION FOR WHAT IS TO COME. ANDREA. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND SKI RESORTS ARE PREPARING FOR THE SNOW. THEY’VE BEEN WAITING FOR A STORM LIKE THIS TO BRING FEET OF SNOW TO THE SKI RESORTS. HAVE HAD TO CLOSE OPERATIONS OR HAVEN’T EVEN OPENED YET DUE TO THE LACK OF SNOW SO FAR THIS SEASON. SKI RESORTS HOPE THIS WEEK’S STORM WILL CHANGE ALL OF THAT. THIS ONE THAT’S STACKING UP IS LOOKING LIKE IT’S GOING TO BE A GREAT SNOWSTORM TO HELP US OPEN UP NEW TERRAIN AND SOME MORE CHAIRLIFTS BY THE WEEKEND. SIERRA AT TAHOE IS HOPING THIS WEEK’S STORM BRINGS THEM JUST ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO OPEN TONIGHT. THEY SET THEIR OPENING DATE FOR THIS SATURDAY. RIGHT NOW, THEY ARE PLANNING TO OPERATE AT LEAST ONE CHAIRLIFT. AND OF COURSE, WE’RE TRACKING THE RAIN COMING IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. WE DON’T EXPECT FLOODING. GOT A LIVE LOOK HERE AT WEST SAC, EL CAMINO, STOCKTON AND RANCHO CORDOVA. THE RAIN IS EXPECTED TO COME IN SHORT BUT INTENSE BURSTS. LET’S RETURN TO METEOROLOGIST HEATHER WALDMAN. HEATHER, WHAT ARE WE SEEING OUT THERE RIGHT NOW? YEAH, WE HAVE SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS THAT HAVE MOVED THROUGH OVER THE PAST HOUR OR SO. THE VALLEY AND KIND OF A LULL RIGHT NOW, BUT THERE’S PLENTY MORE OFF THE COAST. I WANT TO GIVE YOU KIND OF A BIG PICTURE VIEW OF STORM NUMBER ONE. THAT’S WHAT’S COMING IN TONIGHT AND INTO THE DAY TOMORROW. WE’VE GOT A SECOND ONE THAT BARRELS IN RIGHT BEHIND IT FOR CHRISTMAS DAY AND INTO THE DAY ON FRIDAY. IT’S ALL GOING TO FEEL LIKE ONE CONTINUOUS SORT OF MOTION OF THE ATMOSPHERE HERE. BUT YOU SEE THIS THIS LINE THAT’S EXTENDING DOWN TO THE SOUTH. THAT’S A LOT OF MOISTURE FEEDING UP INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ONCE AGAIN. BUT THIS TIME AROUND WE’RE GETTING SOME COLD AIR TO MEET UP WITH IT. OF COURSE, THAT MEANS SNOW FOR THE SIERRA. IT ALSO MEANS A LITTLE EXTRA SOMETHING, SOMETHING FOR THE ATMOSPHERE DOWN IN THE VALLEY. SO WE COULD BE LOOKING AT SOME THUNDERSTORMS AS WE GO THROUGH TOMORROW AND EVEN THURSDAY. THEY’RE GOING TO BE ISOLATED. BUT SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY HAVE SOME ROTATION. THERE’S THE POTENTIAL FOR A BRIEF TORNADO, BUT I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT’S NOT THE HEADLINE HERE. WE ARE MUCH MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE WIDESPREAD WINDS TONIGHT AND TOMORROW NIGHT. THIS IS WHEN 130 WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON A LOT OF DRY TIME FOR THE VALLEY. BUT AGAIN, THOSE COULD BE A COUPLE OF THOSE THUNDERSTORMS ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE VALLEY HEADED OUT FOR MAYBE CHRISTMAS EVE MASS TOMORROW. THERE’S GOING TO BE A LOT OF DRY SPOTS, BUT BRING THE RAIN GEAR BECAUSE THERE ARE MORE BANDS OF RAIN THAT WILL BE COMING THROUGH CHRISTMAS MORNING. WE’RE BACK INTO THE WIND. HERE’S ANOTHER LINE OF WHAT COULD BE SOME OF THOSE MORE INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS ROLLING THROUGH THAT TAKES US ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE DAY ON THURSDAY. BUT HERE’S WHERE WE’RE WATCHING THE POTENTIAL FOR A FEW OF THOSE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS. THEY’LL BE ISOLATED, BUT WORTH KEEPING AN EYE ON THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. BACK TO YOU. ALL RIGHT, HEATHER, THANK YOU. WE WANT TO GO BACK OUT TO LIVE TRACKER THREE IN SACRAMENTO. THIS IS IN THE RAIL YARDS. AND YOU CAN SEE THE ROADS ARE WET, BUT NOT SEEING ANY MAJOR SPLASH BACK THERE. SO FOR NOW THINGS ARE LOOKING PRETTY CALM. OUR WEATHER COVERAGE CONTINUES ON THE KCRA THREE APP. YOU CAN DOWNLOAD IT FOR FREE AND MAKE SURE TO ALLOW BREAKIN
Storm forecast: Damaging winds, bursts of rain, heavy snow in Northern California on Christmas week
High winds and bursts of heavy rain will come in waves Tuesday night through Thursday. Heavy snow will finally start to pile up in the Sierra Wednesday.
Northern California will see a break in the wet weather on Tuesday, but a powerful storm will send several rounds of potentially damaging winds, heavy rain and heavy snow to the region Tuesday night through Thursday. This comes after some places in the Foothills and Sierra measured 6 to 11 inches of rain since Saturday. The KCRA 3 weather team is issuing Alert Days for Wednesday and Thursday, which are issued to indicate conditions that could prove risky to public safety.Friday is expected to be an Impact Day. Showers and mountain snow will likely cause travel delays, but winds will be calmer.Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Sunday night that emergency response teams and equipment are being deployed to nine counties to protect from flooding and severe weather. KCRA 3 reached out to the governor’s office to find out which counties this applies to. The governor’s office responded, saying that El Dorado, Orange, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Colusa, Glenn, Plumas and Nevada counties will be receiving the extra equipment and personnel. The first round of high winds and heavy rain will move across the region between 10 p.m. Tuesday and 4 a.m. Wednesday. Gusts of 40 to 60 mph could cause tree damage in the Valley and Foothills. Scattered power outages are also possible going into Christmas Eve Day. A High Wind Watch was issued by the National Weather Service for the Coastal Hills, Valley and Foothills. It will be in effect from 7 p.m. Tuesday through 4 a.m. Wednesday.Brief bursts of heavy rain will come with the winds overnight. Most of the daylight hours Wednesday will be calmer with scattered showers in the Valley and steadier rain in the Foothills. Another round of high winds and heavy rain is expected Wednesday night into Thursday morning. The Sacramento Valley could see an additional 1 to 2 inches of rain by Friday. As each band of rain moves east into the Sierra, precipitation will turn into heavy snow. Wednesday’s snow level will be around 6,500 feet. This is low enough for accumulation at the Tahoe area summits. Long delays and chain controls are possible Wednesday.The snow level will drop to 4,500 feet on Thursday and then 4,000 feet on Friday. Check the latest chain control information from Caltrans here.In total, the Tahoe area summits could measure several feet of snow by Friday evening. Drivers should avoid traveling in the mountains Wednesday through Friday if possible. Leer en españolShare your weather photos and videos with us at kcra.com/uploadWatch our latest nowcast here REAL-TIME TRAFFIC MAPClick here to see our interactive traffic map.TRACK INTERACTIVE, DOPPLER RADARClick here to see our interactive radar.DOWNLOAD OUR APP FOR THE LATESTHere is where you can download our app.Follow our KCRA weather team on social mediaMeteorologist Tamara Berg on Facebook and X.Meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn on FacebookMeteorologist Heather Waldman on Facebook and X.Meteorologist Kelly Curran on X.Meteorologist Ophelia Young on Facebook and X.Watch our forecasts on TV or onlineHere’s where to find our latest video forecast. You can also watch a livestream of our latest newscast here. The banner on our website turns red when we’re live.We’re also streaming on the Very Local app for Roku, Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV.
Northern California will see a break in the wet weather on Tuesday, but a powerful storm will send several rounds of potentially damaging winds, heavy rain and heavy snow to the region Tuesday night through Thursday.
This comes after some places in the Foothills and Sierra measured 6 to 11 inches of rain since Saturday.
The KCRA 3 weather team is issuing Alert Days for Wednesday and Thursday, which are issued to indicate conditions that could prove risky to public safety.
Friday is expected to be an Impact Day. Showers and mountain snow will likely cause travel delays, but winds will be calmer.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Sunday night that emergency response teams and equipment are being deployed to nine counties to protect from flooding and severe weather. KCRA 3 reached out to the governor’s office to find out which counties this applies to. The governor’s office responded, saying that El Dorado, Orange, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Colusa, Glenn, Plumas and Nevada counties will be receiving the extra equipment and personnel.
The first round of high winds and heavy rain will move across the region between 10 p.m. Tuesday and 4 a.m. Wednesday. Gusts of 40 to 60 mph could cause tree damage in the Valley and Foothills. Scattered power outages are also possible going into Christmas Eve Day.
A High Wind Watch was issued by the National Weather Service for the Coastal Hills, Valley and Foothills. It will be in effect from 7 p.m. Tuesday through 4 a.m. Wednesday.
Brief bursts of heavy rain will come with the winds overnight. Most of the daylight hours Wednesday will be calmer with scattered showers in the Valley and steadier rain in the Foothills.
Another round of high winds and heavy rain is expected Wednesday night into Thursday morning. The Sacramento Valley could see an additional 1 to 2 inches of rain by Friday.
As each band of rain moves east into the Sierra, precipitation will turn into heavy snow. Wednesday’s snow level will be around 6,500 feet. This is low enough for accumulation at the Tahoe area summits. Long delays and chain controls are possible Wednesday.
The snow level will drop to 4,500 feet on Thursday and then 4,000 feet on Friday.
In total, the Tahoe area summits could measure several feet of snow by Friday evening. Drivers should avoid traveling in the mountains Wednesday through Friday if possible.
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