Second Storm Rolls Through Northern California

8 a.m. The National Weather Service says March is shaping up to be a wetter than average. As the storm that started on Friday wraps up Monday, the Sacramento Valley will brace for another storm to arrive Wednesday.

Tom Dang is a meteorologist with the weather service.

"A slight chance of thunderstorms getting into mid day and this afternoon," Dang says. "And then getting on later this week there may be potential for some thunderstorms too, but that's pretty far out."

Dang also says heavy snow last night closed roads in the Sierra.

"The California Department of Transportation, Cal Trans, they actually had to stop traffic going through Interstate 80 for a good juncture last night," he says. "They were seeing some really heavy snow rates and near white out conditions."

So far, the Sacramento region has accumulated about two inches of rain this month, and the National Weather Service expects the next storm to bring another one to three inches by next week.

7:30 a.m. One week into the month of March, the Sacramento Valley has seen a lot of rain -- about two thirds of the monthly average. The National Weather Service expects this month to be officially wetter than average by the end of this week.

Tom Dang is a meteorologist with the weather service. He says heavy rains could cause flooding in some areas.

"There is still some concern with some localized flooding," he says. "Obviously we saw a fair bit of rain over the weekend, and a lot of those creeks and streams are running pretty high at this juncture. So it really doesn't take a lot of rain at this point to get you into that flooding category."

Heavy snow and near whiteout conditions caused CalTrans to close Interstate 80 early Monday in the Sierra. The highway has since reopened.

"We do expect snow to taper off later this morning and into mid day," Dang says. "But the snow totals that we've seen so far have been rather impressive. The highest total that I can see right now is getting toward Sugar Bowl Resort, which has seen up to five feet of snow just in the last three days or so."

By next weekend, the Sierras could see another four to eight inches of snow.

7 a.m.: The Sacramento Valley has been drenched by heavy rains over the weekend, with more wet weather in the forecast this week.

Tom Dang is a meteorologist with the weather service.

"Downtown Sacramento has received just about two inches of rain since all this began Friday," says Dang. "The mountains, northern Sierra in particular, have seen a fair bit more rain than that, with more still falling obviously. The mountains above Shasta Lake are above eight inches."

The regional average for March is about three inches of rain, and the National Weather Service expects this month to be officially wetter than average by the end of this week. By next weekend, the Sierras could see another four to eight inches of snow. Heavy snow and near whiteout conditions caused CalTrans to close Interstate 80 early Monday in the Sierra. The highway has since reopened.

6:30 a.m.: Schools in the foothills are starting late Monday or closing all together for the day because of the stormy weather.

KXTV is reporting that start times at El Dorado High School and Union Mine High School will be delayed two hours Monday morning. In Placerville, Gold Oak Elementary School and Pleasant Valley Middle School are also on a two hour delay.

Meanwhile, the Pollock Pines School District says Pinewood Elementary School and Sierra Ridge Middle School will be closed for the day.

6 a.m.: The second of two storms hitting Northern California closed Interstate 80 early Monday. The highway has since reopened. Two storm systems that rolled through California over the weekend caused flooding in parts of the region -- one incident in Yuba County involved a fatality.

Crews shut down a section of Interstate 80 over Donner Summit early Monday due to blizzard conditions as another winter storm rolls into California. The highway has been reopened.

The storm reached the northernmost part of the state Sunday evening and is expected to spread across California through Monday. Forecasters warned of strong winds, heavy rain and snow and dangerous breaking waves along the coast.

A seven-day total could approach 20 inches of rain in Northern California and up to three inches in the southern end of the state. Meanwhile, forecasters warned of whiteout conditions in the Sierra Nevada, where up to two inches of snow could fall per hour.

In Yuba County, a Marysville woman died after being trapped in a car that became submerged in floodwater on a section of Highway 70 that was closed amid heavy rain.

The casualty was reported after a storm that rolled across California on Saturday led to the evacuations and rescues in some low lying areas, where thousands of people lost power after powerful winds toppled trees and power lines.

Police say that the driver, who was able to get out of the car, was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter.

Firefighters rescued four people stranded along the Los Angeles River in the Encino area while in Santa Cruz County people living along Soquel Creek and the Upper San Lorenzo River were evacuated because of rising water.