Northern California storm brings snow and valley storms

Rain and snow may put a damper on anyone who’d hoped to travel this weekend to the Sierra Nevada mountains or Lake Tahoe, and road conditions near Sacramento could also be slick.

A spring storm system hitting Northern California is expected to bring rain showers, thunderstorms and potentially hail to Sacramento, according to the National Weather Service. Meanwhile, the Sierra Nevada mountains, including parts of El Dorado and Placer counties, are under a winter storm warning until 11 p.m. Sunday.

“There could be … dangerous mountain travel conditions from snow-covered roads, potential for chain controls, significant reduction to visibility at time and potential for road closures,” weather service meteorologist Idamis Shoemaker said.

Those at elevations above 4,500 feet could see between 1 and 2 feet of snow, according to Shoemaker, increasing to upwards of four feet in the mountain range’s highest points. Winds could reach 50 mph.

Snow will likely fall Saturday afternoon into Sunday, according to the weather service, at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour.

Shoemaker said the forecast could be drier come Tuesday, clarifying that road conditions depend on Caltrans closure decisions.

“We could see some light snow showers into Monday,” Shoemaker said of weather conditions in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Traveling near Sacramento amid thunderstorms

Air and road travel could prove difficult near Sacramento, according to the weather service, as potentially severe thunderstorms enter the region.

“It (thunderstorms) can bring factors to driving conditions, such as slick roads,” Shoemaker said. “That’s why we always recommend people to stay weather alert.”

The weather service’s Sacramento office around 2 p.m. posted a radar time-lapse showing “a line of thunderstorms” traveling north along the Sacramento Valley, which passed through the capital city starting just before 1 p.m.

Shoemaker said if a thunderstorm warning occurs, people should take shelter.

“We have enough moisture in the atmosphere (to create) instability that allows the air to rise and produce thunderstorms, and in this case it could lead to potentially strong to severe thunderstorms,” Shoemaker said.

Unlike in the mountains, Sacramento will see mostly sunny weather Monday, according to the weather service, with an anticipated high of 64 degrees.

Live updates about traffic and road conditions from Caltrans are available at quickmap.dot.ca.gov.