Vacaville sees rain, other parts of California see snow and a tornado

A pedestrian walks along a rainy sidewalk at the Nut Tree Plaza in Vacaville, Monday. Steady showers greeted Northern California during the early morning hours as the season's first significant storm drifted across the region. (Rick Roach/RRoach@TheReporter.com)

After an extended fire season brought on by an unusually warm and dry fall, Solano fire officials are breathing a sigh of relief after the county's first good rain of the season.

Steady rains began Sunday and continued through Monday morning, bringing flurries of snow in higher elevations and a good soaking to Solano County, effectually putting an end to fire season -- or so officials hope.

Just last week, Dixon Fire Chief Aaron McAlister expressed his eagerness for the needed precipitation, following a week of volatile fire conditions and red flag warnings that kept area fire crews hopping.

National Weather Service forecaster Karl Swanberg said the next "good shot" of rain was expected tonight on into Wednesday morning.

"In the Vacaville area, the more steady type of rain has ended," he reported Monday afternoon. However, Swanberg noted that scattered showers were expected through the remainder of the day, with potential for isolated thunderstorms in certain areas.

Conditions are expected to start drying out Thursday, he said, with warmer temperatures in the mid- to upper-60s and low 70s on Friday and low to mid 70s expected Saturday and Sunday. Overnight lows are expected to range from the mid-40s to low 50s.

"Generally we're going to stay in a wet troughing pattern," he said.

"We were dry and above normal in September and most of October," Swanberg observed, adding. "Now we're making up for lost time."

The low pressure storm system, which

originated in the Gulf of Alaska, brought a series of other severe weather issues to the state, including a tornado that touched down near Yuba City, ripping shingles off rooftops, scattering patio furniture and blowing down trees and power lines.

The damage appeared relatively minor, officials said, and no injuries were reported.

"There was debris flying, trees down and damage to some buildings, structures," Sutter County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Brenda Baker told KTVU-News10 in Sacramento. "We do have some lines down, power is out."

One witness told the station that the tornado lifted up her barn and a boat, depositing them elsewhere on her property.

Sutter County Fire Department Battalion Chief John Shalowitz said firefighters could see the tornado touch down from their station in a mostly rural area about two miles south of Yuba City.

"It's a lot of telephone and cable lines down, but thankfully nobody was hurt," he said. "We have some roofing material that has been stripped from a couple of houses. A lot of trees down in the area."

The tornado also caused damage to the Mallard Lake Golf Center near Yuba City, although it mostly consisted of uprooted trees.

Tornado warnings were issued in several counties north and east of Sacramento, and were in effect until shortly after 6 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. Several funnel clouds were reported north of Sacramento, but National Weather Service meteorologist Eric Kurth said there were no other reports of touchdowns.

Forecasters were calling for up to 2 feet of snow at the highest elevations in the northern Sierra Nevada, a good sign for a state dependent on winter snow accumulation for its water supply.

"It looks like Mother Nature threw us our first snowball," said Rochelle Jenkins of Caltrans, which was enforcing chain controls above 4,300 feet on I-80, the state's main highway through the Sierra Nevada.

Earlier in the day, chain controls were in effect on U.S. Highway 50 southwest of Lake Tahoe. By late morning nearly an inch of rain had fallen on Sacramento.

Caltrans worked to keep traffic flowing through a 10-mile construction zone on I-80 about 75 miles northeast of Sacramento, using plows to toss snow over concrete barriers.

A winter storm warning above 5,500 feet will remain in effect until 5 a.m. today. The heaviest snowfall was expected on Monday, though snow showers were expected into tonight, Swanberg said.

More widespread precipitation was expected to move across Northern California on Wednesday.

In the southern Sierra, the California Highway Patrol issued a chain warning for Highway 168 above Shaver Lake. Yosemite National Park was expecting about 8 inches of snow above 6,000 feet. Tioga Pass and Glacier Point Road were closed at 10 p.m. Sunday, but officials there will assess conditions on both as weather improves.

Highway officials say a series of storms brewing in the Pacific could wallop the northern half of the state through Friday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Staff Writer Catherine Bowen at Twitter.com/cbowen4.

Source: http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_21834101/vacaville-sees-rain-other-parts-california-see-snow?source=rss_viewed

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