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 Feb. 16
Take advantage of this nice weather. There’s plenty to do as your garden starts to switch into high gear for spring growth.
* This is the last chance to spray fruit trees before their buds open. Treat peach and nectarine trees with copper-based fungicide. Spray apricot trees at bud swell to prevent brown rot. Apply horticultural oil to control scale, mites and aphids on fruit trees.
* Check soil moisture before resuming irrigation. Most likely, your soil is still pretty damp.
* Feed spring-blooming shrubs and fall-planted perennials with slow-release fertilizer. Feed mature trees and shrubs after spring growth starts.
* Transplant or direct-seed several flowers, including snapdragon, candytuft, lilies, astilbe, larkspur, Shasta and painted daisies, stocks, bleeding heart and coral bells.
* In the vegetable garden, plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers, and strawberry and rhubarb roots.
* Transplant cabbage and its close cousins – broccoli, kale and cauliflower – as well as lettuce (both loose leaf and head).
* Indoors, start peppers, tomatoes and eggplant from seed.
* Plant artichokes, asparagus and horseradish from root divisions.
* Plant potatoes from tubers and onions from sets (small bulbs). The onions will sprout quickly and can be used as green onions in March.
* From seed, plant beets, chard, lettuce, mustard, peas, radishes and turnips.
* Annuals are showing up in nurseries, but wait until the weather warms up a bit before planting. Instead, set out flowering perennials such as columbine and delphinium.
* Plant summer-flowering bulbs including cannas, calla lilies and gladiolus.
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