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Sunday saw wind gusts of over 60 mph in the valley! Breezy conditions remain through the morning before thunderstorms in the afternoon.
SACRAMENTO, Calif — As expected, wind gusts Sunday afternoon and evening were well into the 50-60 mph range across Northern California. Mather recorded a gust of 68 mph, and the rest of Sacramento saw gusts of at least 60 mph.
Winds die down through the overnight hours Sunday into Monday, although still expect breezy and somewhat gusty conditions for the morning commute. Wind gusts of 15-25 mph out of the south are likely for your drive to work on Monday.
A High Wind Warning remains in effect until Monday morning.
Showers and even a thunderstorm or two are possible during the overnight hours Sunday into Monday. Rain will generally be light to moderate, but brief heavy rain is possible.
Highs on Monday will be in the upper 50s and low 60s in the valley with partly to mostly cloudy skies.
Rainfall remains scattered across the valley throughout the day, although snow will still be dumping with some force. In the valley, instability and wind aloft will be favorable for thunderstorms to form Monday afternoon. Some of these storms could be on the strong side.
Cloud to ground lightning, heavy rain, thunderstorm wind gusts, pea-sized hail, and even funnel clouds are all possible with any storms that form on Monday.
AÂ Flood Watch continues in the valley until Tuesday. Mudslides and rockslides are possible in the foothills. Flood-prone areas, urban areas, roads, parking lots, and small creeks could flood. Rivers will be running high, even compared to where we’ve been.
The Sacramento River through the valley is expected to be at the monitor stage, with every passive weir expected to be flowing. The Sacramento River through downtown will rise to almost 22 feet by Monday afternoon.
Snow has been falling in the Sierra throughout the day, with chain controls in effect on both I-80 and US-50. Snow will continue to fall throughout the night and most of the day tomorrow. Sierra travel continues to be extremely difficult and is not advised.
Storm total snowfall is likely to be about 4 feet at pass level, with as much as 6 feet at the highest peaks!
A Winter Storm Warning is in effect until Tuesday for the Sierra.
Another storm is possible for Thursday and Friday, although it doesn’t look nearly as impactful as this early week storm will be.
In Southern California, another day of flooding rain is expected. A High risk of flash flooding – the highest level – is in place for the Los Angeles metro area on Monday. Lower elevations are expected to see 3-7″ of rain by Wednesday night, with the San Gabriel Mountains picking up 8-14″ of rain. That’s going to be a lot of instantaneous runoff which is why flooding is such a concern.
The Ventura River is expected to reach flood stage by Sunday night, cresting at over 17.6 ft. The San Diego River is also expected to reach flood stage, topping out at over 10 ft Monday
If you have family or friends down in Southern California, call or text them to tell them to keep an eye on the weather and to have a way to receive severe weather and evacuation alerts.
TONIGHT:Â Windy and showery. Lows in the low 50s. Sierra lows in the 20s with heavy snow.
MONDAY: Rain continues but not as heavy. Thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs near 60°. Lake Tahoe highs in the upper 30s with snow.
TUESDAY:Â Lingering showers. Highs in the middle 50s. Lake Tahoe highs in the upper 30s with snow continuing but becoming more showery.
WEDNESDAY: Mostly dry. Highs in the middle 50s. Lake Tahoe highs in the upper 30s with lingering snow showers.
THURSDAY: Partly cloudy with increasing rain chances. Highs in the low to mid-50s. Lake Tahoe highs in the upper 30s.
FRIDAY:Â Chance of showers. Highs in the upper 50s. Lake Tahoe highs in the upper 30s.
SATURDAY:Â Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 50s and low 60s. Lake Tahoe highs in the 40s.
SUNDAY:Â Mostly sunny. Highs in the low 60s. Lake Tahoe highs in the 40s.