‘Impossible’ travel weather? Rain, snow, wind to hit Northern California before Thanksgiving
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»» Heavy rain, foothill snow: What to know about the winter storm set to hit Northern California
Original story:
Winter weather is upon us, and the timing couldn’t be much worse for those with travel plans this week for Thanksgiving.
From Monday through at least Thursday, storms will strike the West Coast, East Coast and a large chunk of the Midwest, bringing what the National Weather Service national headquarters has called “blizzard-like” conditions just a day or two in advance of Thanksgiving.
“Significant” winter storms will drop heavy snow over the Rockies, northern New England, the Sierra Nevada mountain range and several other regions over the next few days, according to the NWS.
While issuing an official winter storm warning, the NWS Reno office tweeted that mountain travel “could be very difficult to impossible” in the greater Lake Tahoe area.
It’ll be dicey at best and a nightmare at worst for any traveler planning to fly or take a long-distance drive just ahead of Thanksgiving. In a forecast report that includes potential for flight delays, The Weather Channel predicted a high potential for delays at multiple major U.S. airports each day Tuesday through Saturday, pushing out farther east as the week goes on.
In a news release earlier this month, AAA estimated that more than 55 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles for Thanksgiving in 2019. Or at least, they had planned to as of that time
Any Northern Californians bound in the direction of Tahoe should probably start the trip Monday, if they haven’t already.
“Several FEET of snow are expected, and mountain travel is highly discouraged!” the NWS Sacramento office tweeted Sunday, with a map showing virtually the entire Sierra range under a winter storm warning from 10 a.m. Tuesday through 4 p.m. Thursday.
The weather service says about 1 to 2 feet of snow will fall at elevations above 2,000 feet, and that 3 feet or more could fall at higher peaks in the Sierra between Tuesday morning and Wednesday evening.
The storm blowing in from Alaska will also drop the first significant rainfall in months for most of the Sacramento Valley, expected to begin Tuesday night. Sacramento could get up to an inch of rain between Tuesday and Thanksgiving night, which would be about eight times more precipitation than has fallen in the capital in the last six months combined, according to NWS data.
Driving could be treacherous even for those trekking shorter distances. With the first rain in a while, roads will be slick, adding the likelihood of spinouts and crashes further congesting already-clogged highways.
Gusty winds will start a day sooner than the rain, with the NWS warning that Sacramento could see gusts as high as 40 mph both Monday and Tuesday evening.
Here is a day-by-day breakdown of what to expect in terms of weather, focusing on the Sacramento area and the Sierra range near Tahoe, based on NWS forecasts.
Monday: Breezy wind, some fire risk
Wind gusts will precede rain by about a day for most of interior Northern California, starting Monday. Gusts up to 40 mph are possible as far north as Chico and down south through Modesto and Stockton, as well as Sacramento.
The NWS has a wind advisory in place for a large stretch of the western Sacramento Valley from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday. Tree branches, small trees and power lines may be vulnerable to gusts.
Sacramento is expected to hit a high of 63 degrees amid sunny skies. No rain is in the forecast and overnight lows could dip into the 30s.
By about 5:30 a.m. Monday, the NWS Reno office had already observed a “strong cold front” developing, with a “band of light snow” moving southward from western Nevada, just north of Truckee.
Tuesday: Rain and snow start, wind stays
The snow will be heavy and fall at very low elevations beginning late Tuesday morning, with the heaviest snow expected Tuesday night into Wednesday. Snow could dip as low as 1,500 to 2,500 feet, and even lower than that in parts of Shasta County.
The NWS highly discourages mountain travel beginning Tuesday, warning that whiteout conditions will be possible. Should you choose to drive, chain controls are a certainty, though there is always a chance highways could be temporarily closed altogether during the height of the storm.
A radar forecast by the NWS shows rain will hit the greater Sacramento area starting around 4 p.m., with snow reaching the Tahoe region at around the same time, and continue into the night.
Between a quarter-inch and half-inch of rain could fall Tuesday night in Sacramento. Temperatures will also drop, with highs in the mid-50s.
Wednesday: More rain, more snow, even colder
Snow will continue to fall throughout the Sierra, peaking either Tuesday night or early Wednesday. Snow accumulation is possible in the upper foothills, and summit travel will continue to be heavily impacted and discouraged by the NWS and Caltrans.
Precipitation will lighten from rain to “showers” in Sacramento, but with a possibility of late-morning or early afternoon thunderstorms that could boost those rain totals or possibly bring hail. Winds will ease a bit, but could still gust up to about 23 mph.
Max temperatures will fall a few more degrees, down to a high of 51 degrees in Sacramento.
Thanksgiving: Chance of rain, coldest day
The “brunt of the storm” will likely have passed, the NWS said in a tweet, but a chance of showers and afternoon thunderstorms will linger on Thanksgiving Day in the Sacramento area.
Winter storm warnings for most of the Sierra range are set to expire at 4 p.m., but will last until 7 p.m. for Mono County.
Thursday night will also be the coldest of the week. The latest forecast shows Sacramento reaching just 31 degrees late Thursday night, after a daytime high of 48 degrees.
It’ll be well below freezing in the Tahoe area. South Lake Tahoe is currently forecast for an overnight low of 4 degrees the night after Thanksgiving.
Friday: Sunny again, but still cold
No rain is currently in the forecast for Sacramento on Friday. It should be mostly sunny, but with a high temperature near 49 degrees.
A chance of snow showers will continue in the Sierra, with high temperatures near Tahoe remaining below freezing and overnight lows again in the single-digits at South Lake Tahoe.
Weekend: Showers could return
The end of the week is less settled, but a chance of showers could return to the Sacramento Valley after a dry Friday.
Light rainfall is possible both Saturday and Sunday, as Sacramento will continue to see high temperatures in the upper 40s to low 50s, with low temperatures near freezing.
A small chance of light snow showers in the central Sierra will also linger, according to the NWS.
This story was originally published November 25, 2019 at 7:56 AM with the headline "‘Impossible’ travel weather? Rain, snow, wind to hit Northern California before Thanksgiving."
