URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
UPDATED  TUE A.M. JAN 19 2010

...HEAVY SNOW WILL CONTINUE IN THE MOUNTAINS...

.PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CONTINUE INTO WEDNESDAY. SNOW LEVELS

WILL LOWER TO 3000 TO 4000 FEET. PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW AND WIND GUSTS
IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED OVER HIGHER MOUNTAIN PASSES...
CREATING AREAS OF NEAR ZERO VISIBILITY AT TIMES. TODAY/S SYSTEM IS
COLDER THAN THE PREVIOUS TWO SYSTEMS SO SNOWFALL TOTALS ARE
EXPECTED TO BE HIGHER WITH THIS SYSTEM AT LOWER LEVELS THAN THE
PREVIOUS STORMS.

BE AWARE THAT ADDITIONAL STORM SYSTEMS ARE LIKELY TO IMPACT THE
REGION THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK.

Issued by The National Weather Service
Sacramento, CA
9:21 am PST, Mon., Jan. 18, 2010

... A VERY WET AND WINDY WEEK AHEAD FOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA...

A VERY STRONG JET STREAM IS STRETCHED ACROSS THE PACIFIC AND WILL RESULT IN WET AND WINDY WEATHER ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA THIS WEEK. PERIODS OF PRECIPITATION ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK. THE WEEKEND MAY SEE A BREAK IN THE PRECIPITATION BEFORE ANOTHER WEATHER SYSTEM BRINGS MORE RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW NEXT MONDAY.

A STRONG WEATHER SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TODAY WILL BRING HEAVY RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW TO INTERIOR OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT THE CENTRAL VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON AS THE WEATHER SYSTEM PASSES THROUGH. STRONG GUSTY WINDS WILL ALSO ACCOMPANY THIS FRONTAL SYSTEM WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH POSSIBLE IN THE VALLEY AND GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH POSSIBLE OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. LIGHTER PRECIPITATION AHEAD OF ANOTHER OFFSHORE WEATHER SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE OVER THE INTERIOR OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. THIS NEXT STORM WILL BRING MORE SIGNIFICANT RAIN AND WIND TO THE VALLEY AND HEAVY SNOW TO THE MOUNTAINS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT.

ADDITIONAL STORMS WILL BRING MORE PRECIPITATION AND PERIODS OF STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS THROUGH FRIDAY. IN ADDITION... SNOW LEVELS MAY LOWER INTO THE UPPER FOOTHILLS LATER THIS WEEK. RAINFALL TOTALS BY THIS SATURDAY COULD REACH 2 TO 5 INCHES IN THE VALLEY WITH 4 TO 8 INCHES OF RAIN FOR THE FOOTHILLS AND WESTERN SLOPES. FARTHER NORTH... OVER THE SHASTA COUNTY MOUNTAINS... HIGHER TOTALS MAY BE POSSIBLE. SIGNIFICANT SNOW IS LIKELY IN THE MOUNTAINS WITH SEVERAL FEET OF SNOW AROUND THE 5000 FOOT ELEVATION... AND 10 FEET OR MORE OVER THE HIGHER SIERRA NEVADA BY THIS SATURDAY. THE COMBINATION OF HEAVY SNOW AND VERY WINDY CONDITIONS WILL IMPACT TRAVEL INTO THE HIGH COUNTRY.

BY THE MIDDLE OF THIS WEEK EXPECT SMALL RIVERS AND STREAMS IN THE FOOTHILLS TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT RISES WITH SWIFTLY MOVING WATER. MINOR FLOODING CONCERNS MAY DEVELOP DURING THE MIDDLE TO LATER PART OF THIS WEEK FOR SOME SMALL RIVERS AND CREEKS AS WELL AS FOR LOW LYING AREAS.