Northern California forecast: Monday, Tuesday are Alert Days for heavy snow, rain & strong winds
A storm system moves in Sunday night, setting up a soggy Monday with periods of light to moderate rain, breezy winds, and heavy snowfall in the Sierra.
SURE PEOPLE DON’T WAKE UP TO FLOODED STREETS OR HOMES. TURNING NOW TO KCRA 3 WEATHER A LIVE LOOK OUTSIDE TONIGHT FROM LIVE TRACKER THREE. THIS IS ALONG THE CAPITAL CITY FREEWAY IN SACRAMENTO, AND YOU CAN SEE THE SPLASHBACK FROM THE CARS THERE. WE’RE SEEING THE RAIN, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ARE MOVING, AND WE KNOW THAT THAT RAIN HAS MOVED INTO OUR AREA. WE’RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT SNOW. WE WANT TO CHECK IN NOW WITH METEOROLOGIST OPHELIA YOUNG. SO YEAH, IT’S HERE. IT’S HERE. YEAH. AND SNOW. IT’S JUST GETTING STARTED IN THE MOUNTAINS. IT’S GOING TO GET PRETTY HEAVY OVERNIGHT. BY MORNING, UP TO SIX INCHES OF SNOW IN THE SIERRA. THAT’S AS WE WAKE UP AT SEVEN, 8:00 IN THE MORNING. BUT IT’S NICE TO SEE RAINDROPS BACK ON ALL OF OUR CAMERAS AGAIN. IT TOOK A WHILE FOR THE RAIN TO GET HERE, BECAUSE FOR A WHILE THIS EVENING, THE PRECIP BAND WAS STALLED RIGHT OVER THE COASTAL RANGE. AND THAT IS WHY THE COASTAL RANGE IS STARTING OFF THIS STORMY STRETCH WITH ANYWHERE FROM A HALF TO 1.5IN OF RAINFALL ACCUMULATION. THIS EARLY IN THE STORM. JUST LIGHT RAINFALL FOR THE REST OF THE VALLEY. BUT THAT IS GOING TO CHANGE SOON. MODESTO YOU’RE GETTING A FEW SPRINKLES RIGHT NOW. WE HAVE LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN THROUGH STOCKTON MOVING THROUGH SACRAMENTO RIGHT NOW. YUBA CITY ALSO GETTING A GOOD SOAKING AND THAT RAIN JUST ARRIVING TO THE FOOTHILLS IN THE LAST HOUR. FLURRIES IN THE MOUNTAINS. BUT THAT’S INTENSIFYING AS WE SPEAK. THE STORM NUMBER ONE IS ABOUT TO SWING ONSHORE RIGHT BEHIND IT. HOWEVER, STORM NUMBER TWO IS ORIGINATING IN THE GULF OF ALASKA. IT IS LIFTING AND GATHERING ALL THIS COLD AIR, AND WHEN IT CHARGES SOUTH OUT OF THE GULF, IT’S GOING TO BRING ALL THAT COLD AIR WITH IT AND SPREAD IT ACROSS THE WEST COAST. AND THIS IS WHAT IS GOING TO RAPIDLY DROP OUR SNOW LEVELS FROM THE 4500FT ON MONDAY TO 3000FT IN ELEVATION ON TUESDAY. BY WEDNESDAY MORNING, 2000FT, WHICH MEANS SOME AREAS OF THE FOOTHILLS MIGHT BE SEEING SNOW FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS SEASON. BY THEN WE ARE LOOKING AT UP TO FIVE FEET OF SNOW IN DONNER, FOUR FEET IN ECHO SUMMIT, ANYWHERE FROM 2 TO 3FT IN SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, POLLOCK PINES UP TO A FOOT OF SNOW IN ARNOLD, ANYWHERE UP TO A FOOT OF SNOW, MAYBE EVEN MORE. AND BY THEN, RAINFALL TOTALS MIGHT AMOUNT TO TWO INCHES. IN SACRAMENTO, TWO AND A HALF IN YUBA CITY, IN THE FOOTHILLS. WE’RE EXPECTING UP TO FOUR INCHES OF RAIN FROM NOW UNTIL WEDNESDAY IN BLUE CANYON, FIVE INCHES. BUT OF COURSE, SOME OF THAT IS GOING TO FALL. A SNOW STARTING ON MONDAY. THE OTHER THING I WANT TO BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO ARE THE WINDS. TOMORROW IS GOING TO BE A BREEZY DAY, MAINLY RAINY, SOME BREEZES TUESDAY AS THAT STRONGER, COLDER SYSTEM DROPS DOWN. THE WINDS ARE GOING TO GUST TO 45MPH IN THE VALLEY AND IN THE SIERRA. THOSE GUSTS COULD REACH 60MPH. EVEN 100MPH AT THE RIDGE TOPS. GOING TO BE A MESSY COUPLE OF DAYS ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR MOUNTAINS. AND THE LAST THING THAT I WANT TO BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO ARE TEMPERATURES TODAY. WE STILL MADE IT INTO THE MID 60S IN THE VALLEY, STILL COMPARATIVELY WARM FOR THE MIDDLE OF FEBRUARY. WELL, TOMORROW THIS IS WHAT OUR WARM-UP LOOKS LIKE. WE DON’T REALLY HAVE MUCH OF ONE. WE’RE GOING TO START THE DAY OFF UPPER 40S WITH THAT RAIN AND THAT COLD FRONT PASSING. WE’RE ONLY GOING TO TOP OUT IN THE LOW 50S, YET TEMPERATURES ARE PRETTY MUCH GOING TO STABILIZE TOMORROW. AND THAT MEANS HIGHS IN THE FOOTHILLS ARE GOING TO DROP INTO THE LOW 40S TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. AS THAT SECOND SYSTEM COMES AROUND. THEIR DAYS THIS WEEK IN THE SIERRA THAT TEMPERATURES WILL NOT GET OUT OF THE 20S, WITH RAIN LINGERING ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF FRIDAY. TOMORROW BREEZY AND RAINY. TUESDAY WINDY WEDNESDAY IS MARKED AN IMPACT DAY, EVEN THOUGH PRECIP IS GOING TO BE MORE SCATTERED THAT DAY. SNOW LEVELS ARE GOING TO BE VERY LOW WHEREVER YOU’RE TRYING TO TRAVEL. NOT ONLY IS IT GOING TO BE WET IN THE VALLEY, BUT ROADS STILL MIGHT BE CLOSED IN THE SIERRA. AND I THINK BY THEN A LOT OF FOLKS ARE GOING TO BE TRYING TO GET OUT.
Northern California forecast: Monday, Tuesday are Alert Days for heavy snow, rain & strong winds
A storm system moves in Sunday night, setting up a soggy Monday with periods of light to moderate rain, breezy winds, and heavy snowfall in the Sierra.
Updated: 8:29 PM PST Feb 15, 2026
A storm system moves in Sunday night, setting up a soggy Monday with periods of light to moderate rain, breezy winds, and heavy snowfall in the Sierra.Monday’s system will be the first of two storms sweeping through Northern California this week. It will bring the heaviest rainfall. The second storm arrives Tuesday from mid-morning through the afternoon and will be colder and windier, with rapidly dropping snow levels. Wind gusts Tuesday could reach up to 45 mph in the valley and 50 mph in the Sierra, with even stronger gusts along ridge tops.Combined, the two systems are expected to produce 1-2 inches of rain in the valley and 2-5 feet of snow in the mountains, including a couple of feet in the Tahoe Basin. Snow levels will begin around 5,500 feet Sunday before dropping to near 2,000 feet by Wednesday morning. The heaviest accumulations, however, will remain above 3,000 feet.The storm begins to wind down Tuesday evening, leaving only scattered showers. Wednesday remains an Impact Day due to low-elevation snowfall and difficult travel conditions.Forecast models indicate an additional disturbance may bring scattered showers and breezy winds through Thursday. Conditions improve Friday and Saturday, though another storm could arrive late next weekend.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
A storm system moves in Sunday night, setting up a soggy Monday with periods of light to moderate rain, breezy winds, and heavy snowfall in the Sierra.
Monday’s system will be the first of two storms sweeping through Northern California this week. It will bring the heaviest rainfall.
The second storm arrives Tuesday from mid-morning through the afternoon and will be colder and windier, with rapidly dropping snow levels. Wind gusts Tuesday could reach up to 45 mph in the valley and 50 mph in the Sierra, with even stronger gusts along ridge tops.
Combined, the two systems are expected to produce 1-2 inches of rain in the valley and 2-5 feet of snow in the mountains, including a couple of feet in the Tahoe Basin. Snow levels will begin around 5,500 feet Sunday before dropping to near 2,000 feet by Wednesday morning. The heaviest accumulations, however, will remain above 3,000 feet.
The storm begins to wind down Tuesday evening, leaving only scattered showers. Wednesday remains an Impact Day due to low-elevation snowfall and difficult travel conditions.
Forecast models indicate an additional disturbance may bring scattered showers and breezy winds through Thursday. Conditions improve Friday and Saturday, though another storm could arrive late next weekend.