Dry fuels and the potential for dry Santa Ana winds next week have forecasters on alert.
A Fire Weather Watch has been issued for Tuesday-Friday in LA & Ventura counties. This could be elevated to a Red Flag Warning as forecast confidence increases. (4/4)
Drought conditions are starting to develop in SoCal, too.
It is still relatively early in the water year, but LA and San Diego are close to 3" short of average rainfall to this point. (3/4)
Northern California has seen a steady pace of rain and snow lately. Grasses are nice and green. Larger fuels have plenty of moisture.
Southern California has had almost no rain since early October. Fuels there are as dry as they'd be in the height of fire season. (2/4)
OFFSHORE WINDS NEXT WEEK
Early next week an area of low pressure will drop to the east of the Sierra, setting up dry offshore winds across the state.
This comes with a potentially high risk for wildfires in *Southern* California. But not in NorCal.
(1/?)
After tomorrow's snow, the forecast is quiet for a while.
Precipitation "pauses" are normal, but hopefully this one won't linger too long.
For now, our major reservoirs are in good shape.
Today was @CA_DWR snow survey #1 for 2025.
The numbers are promising so far. But a lot can change between now and early April, when snowpack is usually biggest.
We've seen it change for the worse (2021-2022) AND for the better (2023-2024) the past 5 years.
Traveling in the Sierra? I don't envy you.
There won't be *a lot* of snow, but the combo of snow & wind + Friday traffic + holiday traffic is going to make the trip take much longer than usual.
You'll need chains above 5000' if your vehicle does not have AWD.
More rain and snow for Friday!
It'll be a wet morning in the Valley, but nothing that roads and drains can't handle. Dry for the afternoon.
The Foothills will hang onto rain a few hours longer.
Winds may gust 25-30 mph as rain bands come through.
I'd take it.
Hi George, yep I've covered this in the past and will continue to do so going forward! Here's a couple links from 2022.
www.kcra.com/article/clim...
www.kcra.com/article/clim...
Just a few sprinkles this afternoon. But Friday will be a wetter day (for a few hours).
Headed to the Sierra? Be ready for slow travel above 5000 feet. Pack the chains or cables if your car does not have AWD.
Once everything dried out, fire season roared to life.
This year finished just below the 5-year avg & just above the 20-year avg for acres burned.
The #ParkFire is easily the biggest at 400,000+ acres. Most of that was grass & brush that burned the first 2 days.
The 2023-2024 water year wound up just slightly below average for Sacramento.
But thanks to a huge year last year, reservoirs were already in great shape.
Shasta and Oroville filled up no problem by June.
Before the heat set in, we had a busy spring.
The Sierra snowpack peaked on April 9th with higher than average numbers.
That's thanks in large part to a huge dump of snow from an early March blizzard. The snowpack went from 78% to 103% in just a few days.
Amazingly, 2024 was NOT Sacramento's hottest year on record. That is still 2014. Every single month was warmer than average that year.
While we saw record heat this summer, 2014 had record WINTER warmth.
Records for downtown Sacramento date back to 1877.
HOW WILL YOU REMEMBER 2024?
I looked back through my notes and the HEAT stands out more than anything.
This summer was the hottest on record for Sacramento. 51 days at 100°+ is also the highest count in a year.
And of course, there was the October heatwave.
Have you seen the phrase #polarvortex in your feeds the past couple days?
Click the link for a quick explainer of what's going on and how this pattern will affect weather in Northern California heading into January.
www.kcra.com/article/pola...
And for the Sierra...
You have to leave the Valley by 4 a.m. to make it over the summits without snow. Chain controls could be needed as early as 8 a.m. on 50, 80 & 88.
6-8" for Donner Summit. ~12" for resorts on the West Slope.
Then dry for the powder hounds on #Christmas!
The Foothills will be wettest in the morning with light rain and drizzle hanging around in the afternoon.
Up to an inch of rain expected in Placerville and Auburn.
Christmas Eve day starts with rain in the Valley.
The afternoon and evening look mostly (if not totally) dry. That's your time for last-minute errands if you want to avoid wet weather.
Cool and wet Monday.
Once again, Sacramento and places north had much more rain than areas south. That's a typical pattern as these quick-hitting systems move through.
@kcranews.bsky.social
MONDAY
It's a soggy evening, but rain is moving out of the Valley.
The forecast is dry through Friday but rain and high elevation snow chances return Saturday.
#Christmas2024 week looks active for #NorCal. I'm on
KCRA 3 tonight with the forecast.
SIERRA SNOW (4/4)
Snow will be on and off Thursday night and Friday.
It will last all day Saturday. And it'll be heavy starting around midday. Not a good travel day!
But Sunday will be a GREAT day for skiers and boarders.
SATURDAY WIND (3/4)
Lots of places will see gusts between 35 and 45 mph for the first half of Saturday.
That could "relocate" small items in the yard. Things like holiday decor. Double check that Friday.
Wind will gradually weaken in the afternoon.
SATURDAY RAIN (2/4)
It certainly won't rain all day Saturday, but it could come down hard at times. Our in-house model shows a long, narrow band of gusty showers around mid morning.
The afternoon looks mainly dry for the Valley with a stray shower or thunderstorm.
ALLEY FORECAST (1/4)
Showers are winding down but more will be back for Friday morning. Nothing heavy, but roads will be wet.
Friday afternoon & evening will be dry. Use that time to secure anything outside. Saturday will be windy with a quick round of heavy rain.
SIERRA SNOW THROUGH THURSDAY AM
Totals with this first round will be measured in inches, not feet. Still, enough for chain controls above 5000'.
Best times to travel are during daylight hours Wednesday and then Thursday afternoon.
Heavier snow comes Friday night-Saturday.
RAIN TOTALS THROUGH THURSDAY AM
Rain will last 6-8 hours in the Valley. Areas north of I-80 could see up to .50" by Thursday morning.
Areas south will see lower amounts.
RAIN & SNOW WEDNESDAY NIGHT
Our in-house forecast model shows beneficial rain at a time that won't be much of a bother.
Most if not all rain is done before the Thursday AM commute.
Snow will linger longer. Plan for chain controls Thursday morning on 80, 50 & 88.
December, January and February are historically the "best" months for rain and snow in NorCal. The precipitation pace needs to start picking up soon.
Places north of I-80 have above average rain & snow this water year. Areas south are lagging behind.
