SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) — After a long wait, Valley rain and Sierra snow finally arrived.
A weather system has dropped into Northern California on Sunday with clouds, cooler temperatures, showers and Sierra snow.
This marks the end to 212 consecutive days without measurable rainfall in Downtown Sacramento, the National Weather Service reported Sunday.
The early season snow storm put a dent into travel in the Sierra, with travelers wanting to avoid getting stuck in the storm.
“I have a two wheel drive, so I am not trying to slap chains on it,” said Brandon Byrns, who’s travelling to Sparks, Nevada.
Travelers heading over the Sierra passes between 5 p.m. Sunday and 5 a.m. Monday should be prepared for reduced visibility, slick roads, possible travel delays and chain controls.
Cal Trans announced road closures for the following areas:
The storm coming later than expected was good news for drivers like Jonathan Fried, bound for Boise, Idaho, allowing them to get over the summit before the storm hit.
“Trying to hurry up and hit the road,” Fried said. “We don’t have any chains or stuff like that.”
The heaviest snow will fall between 8 p.m. and midnight. Donner summit may receive up to six inches of snow from this fast-moving weather system.
Winds have begun to pick up in the valley, with wind gusts of 25 mph in the Valley and 45 mph in the mountains forecasted for Sunday night.
Almost 12,000 customers were without power near the Rancho Cordova and Rosemont areas, SMUD reported Sunday evening. By 8 p.m. SMUD no longer reported an outage.
Forecast models show steadier Sunday evening rain will fall in the Sierra foothills. That rain will turn to snow above the 5,500-foot elevation.
