By 
The storm we have been talking about the last several days has finally arrived and it is delivering as advertised.
Snow started very early in places like Weaverville and Mount Shasta City also creating problems on highway 299 with chain requirements on Buckhorn Summit and several chain requirements on I-5 near Mount Shasta. Later in the day I-5 was shut down due to a spin out and eventually very heavy snow. Cal Trans has estimated that I-5 will remain closed through Thursday night. As the snow continues to fall in the higher elevations travel in the mountains north, west and east of the valley will be dangerous. Be sure to check the latest road conditions by clicking on this link:
The main band of moisture has been a slow mover which is why we are seeing so much snow in the higher elevations. Parts of the valley will experience periods of heavy rain with possible hail at least through early Friday morning. Snow levels have generally been above 1000 feet (give or take depending where you are) with a few reports of rain mixed with sleet in the Redding area. It’s still not out of the question for Redding to see a rain/snow mix Thursday night into Friday morning but it won’t be cold enough for significant accumulation if any at all.
There are two more disturbances behind the current one that will bring us more valley rain and mountain snow at least through the weekend with short breaks between. Once all is said and done some (not all) of the mountain communities above 3000 feet could be looking at 3 to 5 feet of snow. The valley could be looking at 2 to 4 inches of rain through Sunday.
We will see a break from the wet weather on Monday before another series of weaker and warmer storms move through starting Christmas Day and lasting through most of the week.
