Hold onto those umbrellas: More rain forecast for Bay Area; additional powder coming to the Sierra
A potent storm system is expected to bring even more moisture to Northern California on Sunday after drenching the Bay Area in rain and dumping several feet of snow atop the Sierra Nevada.
Another .1 to .5 inches of rain is expected to fall over the Bay Area throughout the day and into the evening on Sunday, helping to further soak the drought-ridden landscape as part of a healthy, moist start to the region’s critical rainy season. To the east, up to four feet of snow was reported a ski resorts around Lake Tahoe — snarling traffic along the state’s mountain passes while further boosting better-than-average snowpack totals.
“It won’t be raining all day, but these showers are going to continue off and off throughout the day,” said Roger Gass, a National Weather Service meteorologist. “And all in all, they’re providing pretty beneficial rainfall.”
The rain should add to rainfall totals that have already helped make December the wettest month of 2022 for parts of the Bay Area.
Low-lying portions of the Bay Area — including Oakland, San Francisco, Palo Alto and Hayward — received between 1-2 inches of rain from Friday night through about 9 a.m. Sunday, according to rain gauges maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. San Jose has recorded .56 inches of rain so far over the weekend, while surrounding communities received well more than an inch. And the Oakland Hills received 2.15 to 2.72 inches of rain, along with the coastal mountains San Mateo County.
Mount Tamalpais received 3.43 inches of rain over the last few days, while other areas of Marin County generally received anywhere from 1-3 inches of precipitation.
The highest rainfall totals could be found in the Santa Cruz Mountains, which generally saw between four and five inches of rain. One station at Uvas Canyon County Park recorded 7.05 inches of rain.
The dousing prompted California transportation officials to close a stretch of Highway 1 due to concerns about mudslides. That stretch, from Palo Colorado Road to Ragged Point, remained closed Sunday with no expected time given for when it would reopen.
Some areas of the coast from Monterey down through Big Sur saw upward of 7 inches of rain since Friday night, while one station near Mining Ridge recorded an eye-popping 12.96 inches of rain.
After a wet Saturday more rain is on the way today. We'll even see some snow in the Santa Lucias. Check out these rain totals from yesterday along with forecast amounts for today into tonight. Keep the umbrella handy! #cawx pic.twitter.com/bfSCtJXBUz
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) December 11, 2022
In the high country, more snow is expected to fall Sunday — adding to already-impressive totals for the Sierra Nevada this weekend.
The Sierra Snow Lab near Donner Pass received nearly four feet of snow from late Friday through Sunday morning — almost all of which fell on Saturday, said Cory Mueller, a National Weather Service meteorologist. Ski areas around Lake Tahoe received anywhere between 29 and 48 inches, Mueller added — making for a “very impressive” storm.
All that fresh powder made travel nearly impossible for people trying to cross the Sierra. Interstate 80 reopened to passenger vehicles on Sunday morning, though it remained closed to semi trucks in both directions between Colfax and Stateline. Chains also were still required over Donner Summit.
Mueller recommended that motorists continue to avoid traveling into the mountains on Sunday and wait, instead, for Monday, when the skies should begin to clear.
“It’s going to take them awhile to get the highway clear and they’re still going to be seeing some snow today,” Mueller said. “It wont be like it was yesterday, but travel should be pretty bad today.”