Weather service says 'expect substantial disruptions to daily life'
Daffodils are hanging in there, despite all the cold and wet weather. More is coming our way this weekend. Kathy Morrison
Our wet – and cold – winter continues. After a brief sunny break, more storms will roll through the Sacramento Valley this weekend on their way to the Sierra, creating very snowy and dangerous conditions, says the National Weather Service.
“Expect SUBSTANTIAL disruptions to daily life this weekend as another strong winter storm brings more heavy snow to the mountains & foothills with extensive travel impacts,” tweeted the NWS Sacramento office on Friday morning. (All-caps emphasis is theirs.) “Get all your traveling done by (Friday night) because conditions will deteriorate starting early Saturday!”
This storm will affect the foothills as well as the peaks. Snow is forecast as low as 1,500-foot elevation. Blizzard conditions are expected in the Sierra passes as well as lower elevations.
“Please reconsider your mountain travel plans this weekend!!!” said the weather service in another Friday morning tweet. “Heavy snow & gusty winds will bring DANGEROUS to IMPOSSIBLE travel conditions Saturday-Monday. Mountain travel is HIGHLY discouraged, but if you are thinking of driving up there, ask yourself these questions!”
The first question: “Do I have enough supplies and an emergency kit if I get stranded?”
In the Valley, the concern will be more rain and wind, not snow. The current forecast calls for one-half to one inch of rain in Sacramento, spread out over Saturday through Monday, with 20 mph winds and gusts up to 30 mph. That’s enough to knock over already-wobbly trees. More rain is expected throughout the week.
Besides the rain, the current weather pattern is much colder than normal. Sacramento’s average high temperature for this week: 66 degrees. The forecast high for this weekend: 52 degrees. Overnight lows will be down in the 30s, too. That follows a frosty trend; Sacramento set record lows – 35 degrees – for March 1 and 2.
That kind of cold can put the brakes on spring bulbs and other March flowers as well as kill tender new growth.
On the bright side, our water picture looks very good for spring and summer. Rain on the final six days of February brought that month’s total to 2.56 inches for Downtown Sacramento – more than an inch below normal. But thanks to a very wet December and January, our water year is still tracking above average.
Since Oct. 1 (the start of our “rainy season”), Sacramento has received 20.78 inches – more than 7 inches above normal for those five months. A “normal” rain year (October-September) for Sacramento totals about 17.6 inches.
For more on local weather including storm timelines: https://www.weather.gov/sto/#.
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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3
November still offers good weather for fall planting:
* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.
* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.
* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.
* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.
* Plant garlic and onions.
* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.
* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.
* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.
* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.
* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.
* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.
* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.
* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.
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