SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) — When the snow starts to fall, it likely will not stop until at least Monday.
Snowfall is expected to begin Tuesday night and persist until at least Monday, with the heaviest snowfall likely occurring between Friday and Monday.
The story for the Valley and foothills will be periods of rain every day of the 7-day forecast.
Friday morning will likely offer a nice break of several hours between rain showers. But that night – overnight Christmas Eve into Christmas morning – looks especially challenging for Santa and his reindeer in terms of rain, wind and Sierra snow.
Major travel delays for the holidays are expected and there may be near white-out conditions at times. As such, travel through the mountain is being “highly discouraged” by the National Weather Service Sacramento starting Wednesday evening.
For those who are driving, they are advised to leave before Wednesday evening and check their vehicles, such as their tires, battery and fluids.
Drivers are advised to carry chains as they are needed for driving in snow.
A gas station clerk in Kingvale said when the snow comes, they sell around 1,000 sets of tire chains in just a few days. He also mentioned that some drivers don’t understand that the size of a vehicle’s tires makes all the difference for what is needed.
“You know, everybody is on vacation; nobody really knows what they need until they need it,” clerk Troy Richmond said.
Chains or not, accidents in snowstorms are almost inevitable. The California Highway Patrol asks those involved in fender benders to not stay on the road after a collision.