Better bundle up today. A powerful cold front moving in from the Pacific will bring high winds, rain in the valley and snow in the mountains. Weather-watchers say this could be the first big storm of the winter here in Northern California.
Wind gusts up to 45 mph are expected in the valley, and rain could be heavy at times. But the real story is in the mountains around Redding, where some areas could get up to a foot of snow. Behind the front, snow levels will drop to 2,500 feet. It’s likely chains will be necessary in places, and highway travel could get ugly.
The National Weather Service has issued wind advisories for most of Northern California for all day Friday, and winds will be worse in the mountains, too.
High in Redding today should be 50 degrees, but it’ll feel colder because of the gusting wind. Low tonight of 36.
The good news about this storm is that it’s moving fast, and it’s essentially a one-day event. Saturday is expected to be partly cloudy, with a high of 54. More showers are possible on Sunday.
CalTrans District 2 (which covers northeastern California, including Shasta County) said it’s braced for the storm, with 110 snowplows standing by, and stockpiles of tons and tons of salt and sand/cinder mix.
CalTrans has more information about winter driving conditions in a news release here. The release also contains great tips on making sure your car is ready for winter.
- Blustery weather means it’s time to curl up with a good book. I’m reading “Revenge of the Spellmans,” the third installment in Lisa Lutz’s hilarious series about a quirky family of private eyes in San Francisco.
- The Blue Shield of California Foundation has donated $75,000 to the Shasta Consortium of Community Health Centers. The money will be used for regional training in financial and health information technology.
- DVD I Watched on the Dreadmill: Continuing my French cinema kick, I enjoyed “Army of Shadows,” a suspenseful World War II movie written and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. Lino Ventura and Simone Signoret star as leaders of the French resistance.
Tips appreciated: Send news tidbits to steveb.anewscafe@gmail.com.
