Sacramento, California – Travel across Northern California will grow increasingly difficult through 10 p.m. Thursday as feet of Sierra snow and dropping valley snow levels threaten road closures and chain controls on major corridors.
According to the National Weather Service in Sacramento, a Winter Storm Warning remains in effect for the Northern Sacramento Valley and much of the northern Sierra Nevada, including Redding, Red Bluff, Shasta Lake, Burney, Grass Valley, Quincy and Blue Canyon. Higher elevations could see 4 to 8 feet of snow, with 1 to 2 feet between 2,500 and 3,500 feet and up to a foot as low as 2,000 feet. Wind gusts of 45 to 55 mph will create blowing snow and near-zero visibility at times.
Interstate 80 over Donner Pass and Highway 50 through the Sierra are likely to see extended chain controls and potential shutdowns. Portions of Interstate 5 in northern Shasta County could become snow-covered. In the Northern Sacramento Valley, including Redding, light accumulations up to one inch are possible, especially Wednesday and Thursday mornings as snow levels drop below 1,000 feet.
Drivers should check Caltrans QuickMap or call 511 before traveling and prepare for sudden closures. The most significant low-elevation impacts are expected Wednesday morning, with hazardous conditions persisting into Thursday night.
