Weather warning for Northern California: Up to 3 feet of snow in Sierra, rain in Sacramento

Northern California drivers could continue to see their travel plans impacted by winter weather through the weekend, as more snow is projected to fall in the Sierra Nevada and rain is in the forecast for the Central Valley.

LATEST UPDATE: TRAFFIC CONDITIONS FOR POST-THANKSGIVING WEEKEND

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch starting at 4 a.m. Saturday and lasting through noon Sunday.

The Sierra Nevada at elevations as low as 3,000 feet could receive 10 to 15 inches of snow, with localized amounts of two to three feet, according to a weather service forecast. The Sierra foothills will also likely see light accumulations of snow, the forecast said.

An additional four to six inches could fall at mountain pass levels, including Donner Summit, Echo Pass and Carson Pass, which will make conditions slippery, the weather service said in a tweet.

The weather service forecasts rain in Sacramento throughout the weekend.

In Bear Valley, 36 inches of snow have fallen in the last 48 hours, according to the weather service. At Donner Summit, 30 inches have fallen.

Travel delays are likely and chain control requirements are possible, the forecast said.

As of 12:30 p.m. Thursday, chains were being required on Interstate 80 through Placer County and over Donner Summit from Kingvale to Truckee, for both east and westbound drivers, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.

Holiday travelers faced worse conditions on Interstate 5 through Kern County, where the Grapevine leading to Los Angeles was closed for much of Thanksgiving.

Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol announced at 1:40 p.m. that the Grapevine was open, but warned, “please continue to exercise caution in adverse weather conditions.”

This story was originally published November 28, 2019 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Weather warning for Northern California: Up to 3 feet of snow in Sierra, rain in Sacramento."