‘Final push’ in big storm system expected to bring more intense rain, snow

The bell sounding the end of the second round of heavy rainfall in the Bay Area and snow in the Sierra Nevada sounded overnight Friday into Saturday. The National Weather Service said it won’t be a long wait until the next round starts.

A “distinct lull” early Saturday is expected to be followed by a “final push” later Saturday afternoon  that is expected to bring another moderate downpour, the agency said.

“We’re gonna see rain fall all day, but it’s not gonna be real intense per se until we get into the afternoon,” NWS meteorologist Nicole Sarment said Saturday morning. “Once we get there, you’re going to see hard, intense showers.”

Showers continue through the day today, with a distinct lull this morning before a final push tonight. Light rain lingers into Sunday with another system coming through during the middle of the week. #cawx pic.twitter.com/Y7NakXNdcW

— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) March 2, 2024

Such intense rain and snow have been falling off an on for about 48 hours, as a larger-than-normal cold storm system from the Gulf of Alaska descends through the region.

At 5 p.m. Friday, about 20 inches of snow had fallen a 36-hour span in the Lake Tahoe area, according to the weather service. The snow was expected to be at its most intense Saturday, and a blizzard warning remained in effect until 10 a.m. Sunday.

Interstate 80 was closed from Colfax to the Nevada state line early Saturday. Chains or snow tires were required on state Highway 50 from 9 miles east of Placerville to Meyers in El Dorado County.

In the Bay Area, more than four inches of rain fell at Mount Umunhum in the Santa Cruz Mountains and 2½ inches at Mount Diablo in Contra Costa County during a 48-hour period, the weather service said. About 1¾ inches fell in Oakland during those 48 hours and 1½ inches in Concord and San Francisco, according to the weather service. About a half-inch fell in San Jose.

“The rain we see Saturday is not going to be widespread all at once,” Sarment said. “But when that final push comes, there will be a lot of cells.”

Winds also are expected to be strong but not quite as whippy as they were Friday, she said. Gusts reached 50 mph areas in the region — they were more than 100 mph at the ridge tops in the Sierra Nevada, the weather service said — but were expected to “be more breezy than gusty” on Saturday, Sarment said.

The temperatures also remained cold. The high’s on Saturday were expected to be 53 degrees in San Jose and 50 degrees in Concord, Oakland, and San Francisco.

By Sunday, only scattered isolated showers are expected to remain, Sarment said. But another storm system that’s far less intense may makes its presence felt by Monday, and Sarment said the region may not see a day without rain until Thursday.

Please check back for updates.