Northern California forecast: Rainy New Year’s Eve
Rain will move in just in time for Northern California to ring in 2026.
MAKE SURE THAT YOU’RE READY TO FACE THE RAIN, EVEN THOUGH IT’S GOING TO BE A LIGHT RAIN. YOU KNOW THAT THE MINUTE YOU GET WET, YOU’RE OUTSIDE. IT JUST GETS UNCOMFORTABLE. SO HAVE THE RAIN GEAR, HAVE KIND OF THE GORTEX THE THINGS THAT JUST KIND OF KEEP YOU DRY AND PROTECTED AND YOU’LL BE JUST FINE. AN UMBRELLA IS GOING TO WORK WELL AS WELL BECAUSE I DON’T EXPECT ANY STRONG WINDS TO TOPPLE OVER YOUR UMBRELLA. HERE’S A LIVE LOOK OUTSIDE AT SOME OF THAT FOG. HEAVY FOG HERE FROM THE CAPITOL DOME WHERE TEMPERATURES ARE RIGHT NOW IN THE LOWER 40S. IT’S 27, WAKING UP IN TAHOE WITH SCATTERED CLOUDS. WE’RE UNDERNEATH THIS DENSE FOG ADVISORY. REALLY? FROM THE I-5 CORRIDOR JUST NORTH OF YUBA CITY, ALL THE WAY DOWN ACROSS THE I-5 99 CORRIDOR AND PARTS OF I-80 INTO THE DELTA. THIS WILL EXTEND UNTIL 11:00 THIS MORNING FOR DROPS IN VISIBILITY. I HAD SOME DRIZZLE AND MIST ASSOCIATED WITH THE FOG THIS MORNING AROUND DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO. AND THE NUMBER ONE THING YOU CAN DO IF YOU HAVE TO GO OUT INTO THAT FOG, IS JUST TAKE YOUR TIME AND SLOW THINGS DOWN. WEATHER SYSTEM THAT IS RIGHT NOW JUST ABOUT 500 MEALS. EXCUSE ME, 500 MILES TO THE WEST. YOU CAN TELL I’M A LITTLE HUNGRY, RIGHT? JUST TO THE WEST. THERE. AS YOU GET OFF THE AREA THERE, THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. THIS SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE WORKING ITS WAY TO THE NORTH AND SPREADING RAINFALL ALONG WITH IT. LET’S TIME THIS OUT NOW WITH FUTURECAST FOR YOUR NEW YEAR’S EVE. THIS IS 11:00 AT MIDDAY, AND I DO ANTICIPATE THAT THE BAY AREA IS THE FIRST TO GET A LITTLE DOLLOP OF RAINFALL. PRETTY LIGHT SITUATION THERE IN SAN FRANCISCO AND ON INTO OAKLAND AND SAN JOSE. THEN THAT BAND AGAIN CONTINUES TO TRACK ITS WAY FROM THE SOUTH TO THE NORTH. AND REALLY, ONCE WE GET BEYOND SUNSET TONIGHT, WE’RE GOING TO SEE THAT WIDESPREAD RAIN. EIGHT NINE, 10:00 THIS EVENING ALL THE WAY UNTIL WE RING IN THE NEW YEAR. THEN, LOOKING AHEAD TO YOUR THURSDAY MORNING, I KNOW IT’S NEW YEAR’S DAY. A LOT OF FOLKS HAVE THE DAY OFF IN OBSERVANCE OF THE HOLIDAY. WE’RE GOING TO BE SEEING RAIN PERIODS LIGHT TO MODERATE TIMES ON AND OFF AGAIN FROM THE MORNING ALL THE WAY INTO THE EVENING FOR THURSDAY, AND THEN PUSHING AHEAD INTO FRIDAY’S FORECAST. THINGS ARE GOING TO START TO DRY OUT. I’VE GOT FRIDAY NOW AS NOT AN IMPACT DAY AS I THINK THAT WILL BE THE DRIER PART OF THE WEEKEND BEFORE THE NEXT ROUND ARRIVES OVERNIGHT FRIDAY AND PUSHING AHEAD INTO OUR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. SO HERE IS AGAIN THURSDAY. THE BIGGER PICTURE HERE 4 P.M. WIDESPREAD RAINFALL WE GET INTO SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. SOME STEADIER RAINFALL EXPECTED SATURDAY AFTERNOON, AND THEN TURNING OVER TO SNOWFALL ABOVE 6000FT IN THE SIERRA. LOOKING AHEAD OF THINGS INTO SUNDAY AND INTO THE NEXT WORKWEEK, WHERE A LOT OF FOLKS HAVE TO RETURN TO THE OFFICE AFTER MAYBE SOME TIME OFF FOR THE HOLIDAY. THIS IS MONDAY, 9 A.M. IT’S GOING TO BE WET. TRACK OUT THERE ON THE ROADS WITH SNOW COMING DOWN IN THE SIERRA, AND THAT CONTINUES AS WE’RE JUST BEING FED BY THIS CONVEYOR BELT OF ONE SYSTEM AFTER ANOTHER, TAPPING INTO MOISTURE. SO HOW MUCH IS GOING TO ADD UP? WELL, THIS IS GOING FROM TONIGHT ALL THE WAY INTO MONDAY, 3 TO 4IN POSSIBLE IN SOME SPOTS. PARTS OF THE VALLEY 4 TO 5IN IN SOME OF THE HIGHER TERRAIN, ESPECIALLY UP TOWARDS BLUE CANYON. EXTENDED FORECAST. WE’VE GOT IMPACT DAYS NOT ONLY FOR TOMORROW, BUT ALSO AGAIN SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. AND IF YOU’RE PLANNING TO DO ANY SIERRA TRAVEL GUYS, I KNOW A LOT OF FOLKS ARE THINKING, ALL RIGHT, WELL, AFTER THE NEW YEAR, MAYBE I WANT TO GET ONTO THE SLOPES. KEEP IN MIND IT’S GOING TO BE WELL, UNLESS YOU WANT TO RIDE THE SLOPES IN THE RAIN TOMORROW IT’S GOING TO BE ALL RAIN. BUT TURNING OVER TO SNOW FRIDAY NIGHT AND THEN THROUGH THE WEEKEND, SNOW WILL ADD UP AND THAT WILL CAUSE SOME SLICK TRAVEL. OKAY. MY FAVORITE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO STILL SHOW UP ON THOSE DAYS WEARING JEANS AND JEAN JACKETS. TH
Northern California forecast: Rainy New Year’s Eve
Rain will move in just in time for Northern California to ring in 2026.
Updated: 6:18 AM PST Dec 31, 2025
Rain will move in just in time for Northern California to ring in 2026.We’re waking up to areas of dense fog again. While that should lift by midday, higher clouds will move in ahead of the rain. Showers are already moving into the Bay Area.Our first chance of rain arrives in the Valley by mid-afternoon, with highs near 50 degrees. The foothills can expect rain by late afternoon, with highs in the mid-50s. Precipitation will be mainly showers in the Sierra this evening, with highs in the mid-40s.Expect showers to persist through dinnertime, overnight, and into the first half of New Year’s Day. Forecast amounts are light in the Valley: a quarter to a half inch.There is a lull in wet weather Thursday evening and the first half of Friday, but even wetter rain arrives as a large area of low pressure approaches the region and sends in more waves of moisture starting Friday. Breezy, if not windy, conditions are also expected with the later storms. Expect on-and-off showers through the weekend.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Rain will move in just in time for Northern California to ring in 2026.
We’re waking up to areas of dense fog again. While that should lift by midday, higher clouds will move in ahead of the rain. Showers are already moving into the Bay Area.
Our first chance of rain arrives in the Valley by mid-afternoon, with highs near 50 degrees. The foothills can expect rain by late afternoon, with highs in the mid-50s. Precipitation will be mainly showers in the Sierra this evening, with highs in the mid-40s.
Expect showers to persist through dinnertime, overnight, and into the first half of New Year’s Day. Forecast amounts are light in the Valley: a quarter to a half inch.
There is a lull in wet weather Thursday evening and the first half of Friday, but even wetter rain arrives as a large area of low pressure approaches the region and sends in more waves of moisture starting Friday. Breezy, if not windy, conditions are also expected with the later storms. Expect on-and-off showers through the weekend.