The rain system moving the heaviest rain out of the Bay Area but scattered showers hit Saturday afternoon and with them came lower temperatures, meaning the region saw snow for the second time this year.
Some areas saw scattered rain Saturday morning and snow even came overnight in the Santa Cruz mountains. The next round of showers approached around 4 p.m. Saturday, according to NBC Bay Area meteorologist Jeff Ranieri.
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Highs were in the lower 50s. West winds were 10 to 20 mph before switching to southwest winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts of 45 mph in the afternoon.
Late Saturday through early Sunday afternoon, 2 to 4 inches of powder could accumulate above 1,500 feet in the North Bay mountains, East Bay hills and Santa Cruz mountains.
Driving conditions may be hazardous on Highway 35 (Skyline Boulevard) in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and along other routes in the region's higher elevations, forecasters said.
Sunday will be mostly cloudy and breezy with a chance of showers. Highs will be around 50 degrees. Northwest winds will be 10 to 20 mph and increase to 20 to 30 mph in the afternoon.
Local
In the Sierra, snow has started back up and will continue into Sunday. Snow levels will range 2,500 feet to 3,500 feet with 1-4 feet of snow possible depending on elevation.
Wind gusts will be around 20-40 mph at times with higher gusts from 40 to 70 mph at peaks. This will create blizzard conditions at times with avalanche warnings, and possibly prompt road closures.
Long-range trends suggest more rain and storms next week, which may trigger small mudslides. Reservoirs, rivers and streams may begin to reach capacity as soils become saturated, the weather service said.
Next week's rains, which are expected to come from weak to moderate weather systems, are expected to be more robust the farther south you go.
