Impacts from rain and wind expected today

Since Wednesday of last week, about 5 inches of rain have been recorded in Grass Valley.

“We are still on track for another atmospheric river storm,” National Weather Service Warning Coordination Meteorologist Courtney Carpenter said. “We are looking at renewed rises on mainstem rivers over the next few days.

Folks will want to pay close attention to areas near small streams and creeks as well as to be alert for areas of roadway flooding. Water can tend to channel into roadways in regions where there is a snowpack built up.

Forecasters were still unsure Monday where the brunt of today’s storm would hit the state.

“There still is some uncertainty as to where the heaviest axis of rainfall sets up,” Carpenter said. “Is that going to be over our area? Or is it going to be more south of the area as we saw on Friday? And how widespread those damaging winds will be? That’s always the tricky part from these systems.”

Grass Valley could see wind gusts today in the 40 to 55 mile per hour range between 5 a.m. and the afternoon, which is also when the heaviest rain will fall.

As the storm moves in today, snow levels will gradually rise, starting at 7,000 feet and rising to 8,500 feet during the brunt of the storm.

“We will dry out for later Wednesday into early Friday,” Carpenter said. “We will continue to see some lingering flood impacts as the water is a little bit slower to recede.”

Another system later Friday and Saturday is expected by meteorologists as well as a late weekend system into early next week though amounts look really really light according to Carpenter.

Meteorologists are warning for the potential for mud and rock slides due to saturation ground in the lower elevations, and another one to two feet of snow at the highest elevations.