Northern California Gets Rain, Snow

More good news arrived for Northern California drought watchers and skiers when a storm brought rain and snow to the state on Saturday.

A winter storm watch was issued for Saturday night and Sunday in the Northern Sierra Nevada, with forecasters saying snowfall amounts could total 1 to 2 feet by Sunday at the highest elevations. The snow level was expected to be as low as 1,500 feet in the far north.

The National Weather Service said late Saturday that the cold front had stalled along a line from San Francisco to just north of Lake Tahoe and expected little movement during the night.

Rainfall amounts overnight Friday were mostly light, but Brandy Creek in the northern Sacramento foothills received 1.38 inches of rain in the 24-hour period ending 4 a.m. Saturday.

But the rain fell steadily during the day, dropping significant amounts on many areas. For the 24-hour period ending at 4 p.m., Kentfield had 1.4 inches, Crescent City 1.33, Santa Rosa 1.14, Napa 1.0, Pacifica 0.80, Vallejo 0.46, Alameda 0.43, Sacramento 0.20 and San Francisco 0.15.

This weekend’s storm was expected to bring San Francisco between a half-inch and 1 inch of rain, the National Weather Service said. This would bring the total for March to about 5 inches.

Although geologists said mudslides were unlikely over the weekend, one slide closed a lane of California 128 near Lake Berryessa for part of the day, the California Highway Patrol said.