Northern CA forecast video

Northern California’s weekend storm brought mountain snow, valley rain and chain controls that could still shape Sierra travel plans into early Monday. (weather.gov) The National Weather Service in Sacramento said Sunday’s storm kept a Winter Storm Warning in effect until 11 p.m. April 12 above 4,500 feet in the West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada and Western Plumas County. Forecasters called for another 12 to 18 inches of snow above 4,500 feet, with up to 2 feet on the highest peaks and wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour. (forecast.weather.gov) The same forecast office said snow levels were running about 4,000 to 5,000 feet on April 12, with bands capable of dropping snow at 1 to 2 inches per hour and sharply reducing visibility. It also flagged scattered thunderstorms across the region as the low-pressure system moved inland. (weather.gov) On the eastern side of the range, the National Weather Service office in Reno said colder air, rain and mountain snow were producing winter travel impacts in the Sierra on Sunday, with showers continuing through Sunday evening. Reno forecasters also put the chance of additional thunderstorms at 10 to 20 percent. (forecast.weather.gov) By late Sunday, Caltrans reported chain controls on Interstate 80 from Cisco Grove to Hirschdale Road for eastbound traffic and from Truckee to east of State Route 20 for westbound traffic. On U.S. 50, chains were required from 1.6 miles east of Kyburz to Meyers. (roads.dot.ca.gov, roads.dot.ca.gov) The warning covered the main mountain corridors used for Tahoe and Sierra weekend trips, including areas near Blue Canyon, Quincy and Chester. The National Weather Service said travel above 4,500 feet could be “very difficult to impossible” during the storm. (forecast.weather.gov) This followed a sharp swing in April weather. Sacramento forecasters wrote on April 10 that a warmer start to the month was giving way to upper-level troughing, a dip in the jet stream that pulls in colder, more unsettled air, with thunderstorms and cooler temperatures returning by the weekend. (forecast.weather.gov) The storm also hit roads beyond the main Tahoe routes. Caltrans said late Sunday that State Route 89 was closed from U.S. 395 to State Route 4 because of adverse weather, while chain controls were posted on multiple Northern California stretches of Route 89. (roads.dot.ca.gov) For families eyeing a quick getaway, the practical picture was simple by Sunday night: rain in lower elevations, winter driving in the passes, and conditions changing by the hour. State road officials said motorists should keep checking highway updates before heading into the mountains. (dot.ca.gov)