Northern California rain totals, a look at the season so far
LIVE AT DONNER SUMMIT WITH A LOOK AT THE SNOW COMING DOWN. MELANIE. YEAH, IT’S COMING DOWN. JUST AS OPHELIA HAD SAID IT WOULD BE AND STICKING. THAT’S WHY THOSE CHAIN CONTROLS ARE IN EFFECT OVER DONNER SUMMIT TODAY. AND AS BRIAN MENTIONED, YOU’LL HIT THAT CHAIN CONTROL CHECKPOINT AT KINGVALE. AND WHAT WE’RE SEEING ON THE ROADWAY AT 7200FT HERE ON DONNER SUMMIT IS SLUSHY ROAD CONDITIONS OVER THE SUMMIT. AND THAT’S WHY CHAIN CONTROLS HAVE TO BE IN PLACE AS CARS AND TRUCKS TRAVERSE THIS PART OF THE HIGHWAY, IT GETS REALLY SLICK, ESPECIALLY AS YOU’RE HEADED ON THE DOWNSLOPE INTO TRUCKEE. SO THAT’S WHY, AS THE CALTRANS READER BOARD SAYS, IN THE DISTANCE FROM WHERE WE’RE SET UP, ICE AND SNOW TAKE IT SLOW. WE’RE SEEING THAT RIGHT HERE AT THIS ELEVATION, AND WE’RE SEEING IT STICK ON THE ROADWAY HERE AND OFF TO THE SIDE AT THE DONNER SUMMIT REST AREA. SO I JUST WANTED TO GIVE BRANDY AND TEO A LITTLE BIT OF A SLICE OF HOW NOT UNPRECEDENTED THIS IS. YOU GUYS, WHEN DO YOU THINK THE LAST TIME I WAS UP ON DONNER SUMMIT TALKING ABOUT SNOW WAS ON APRIL FOOLS DAY, APRIL 1ST. JUST TAKE A QUICK GUESS. LAST YEAR, TWO THREE YEARS AGO. THREE YEARS AGO? YES, I KNEW IT. NO, LAST YEAR. LAST YEAR. OKAY, BRANDY. YOU WON. THANK YOU. WHAT IS MY PRIZE? HOW WAS IT? APRIL 1ST OF LAST YEAR. WHAT IS MY PRIZE? MELANIE? YEAH, MY GIFT. SNOW ALSO OF SNOW. ALL SNOW. THE WINNER, WINNER, WINNER. ALL RIGHT. MELANIE. BE CAREFUL. THANK YOU. YAY! BOWL OF SNOW THIS MORNING. SPEAKING OF SNOW, STATE WATER OFFICIALS WILL HAVE THEIR FINAL SNOW SURVEY OF THE SEASON. VIDEO HERE FROM THE LAST SURVEY ON FEBRUARY 28TH, AFTER WE SAW A SERIES OF STORMS THAT PUT THE STATEWIDE TOTAL AT 66% OF AVERAGE, BUT WE DID NOT GET ANY MORE SNOW UNTIL YESTERDAY. SIERRA SNOWPACK IS NORMALLY AT ITS PEAK RIGHT NOW. TODAY. HOWEVER, AS OF MONDAY, THE STATEWIDE TOTAL WAS JUST 18% OF AVERAGE. IT’S EVEN WORSE IN THE NORTHERN SIERRA, JUST 6%, CENTRAL SIERRA IS 20% OF AVERAGE, WHILE THE SOUTHE
Northern California rain totals, a look at the season so far
Updated: 9:39 AM PDT Apr 1, 2026
Much-needed rain and snow arrived in the Northern California region at the end of March and are continuing into the start of April.Considering much of March was dry and saw record warmth, the state’s snowpack has largely diminished ahead of California’s final snow survey of the year. Read more here.Wednesday’s wet weather is expected to bring light showers at lower elevations and modest amounts of snow in the Sierra.Despite dry months in January and March, the rain season still benefited from storms in December and February.In comparison to those storms, Wednesday’s system is meager, but it provides a break from recent weeks of warm weather.Below is a look at the rain totals so far since the water year began in Oct. 1.Below are rain totals as of 6:18 a.m. April 1REAL-TIME TRAFFIC MAPClick here to see our interactive traffic map.TRACK INTERACTIVE, DOPPLER RADARClick here to see our interactive radar.DOWNLOAD OUR APP FOR THE LATESTHere is where you can download our app.Follow our KCRA weather team on social mediaMeteorologist Tamara Berg on Facebook and X.Meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn on FacebookMeteorologist/Climate Reporter Heather Waldman on Facebook and X.Meteorologist Kelly Curran on X.Meteorologist Ophelia Young on Facebook and X.Watch our forecasts on TV or onlineHere’s where to find our latest video forecast. You can also watch a livestream of our latest newscast here. The banner on our website turns red when we’re live.We’re also streaming on the Very Local app for Roku, Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Much-needed rain and snow arrived in the Northern California region at the end of March and are continuing into the start of April.
Considering much of March was dry and saw record warmth, the state’s snowpack has largely diminished ahead of California’s final snow survey of the year. Read more here.
Wednesday’s wet weather is expected to bring light showers at lower elevations and modest amounts of snow in the Sierra.
Despite dry months in January and March, the rain season still benefited from storms in December and February.
In comparison to those storms, Wednesday’s system is meager, but it provides a break from recent weeks of warm weather.
Below is a look at the rain totals so far since the water year began in Oct. 1.
Below are rain totals as of 6:18 a.m. April 1
REAL-TIME TRAFFIC MAP
Click here to see our interactive traffic map.
TRACK INTERACTIVE, DOPPLER RADAR
Click here to see our interactive radar.
DOWNLOAD OUR APP FOR THE LATEST
Here is where you can download our app.
Follow our KCRA weather team on social media
Meteorologist Tamara Berg on Facebook and X.Meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn on FacebookMeteorologist/Climate Reporter Heather Waldman on Facebook and X.Meteorologist Kelly Curran on X.Meteorologist Ophelia Young on Facebook and X.
Watch our forecasts on TV or online
Here’s where to find our latest video forecast. You can also watch a livestream of our latest newscast here. The banner on our website turns red when we’re live.
We’re also streaming on the Very Local app for Roku, Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel