major winter storm coming

A Special Weather Statement from the National Weather Service Sacramento office:

COLD AND WET WEATHER IS EXPECTED FOR INTERIOR NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA THROUGH THIS WEEKEND...

A FRONT AHEAD OF A VERY COLD LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE OVER
THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE AREA TONIGHT AND DROP SOUTH FRIDAY.
THIS WILL BRING SHOWERS OVER THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE AREA
TONIGHT INTO EARLY FRIDAY AND BRINGING INCREASING CHANCE OF
PRECIPITATION AND SPREADING PRECIPTIATION FARTHER SOUTH DURING THE
DAY FRIDAY. PRECIPITATION WILL BECOME WIDESPREAD FRIDAY NIGHT AND
THIS WEEKEND AS THE MAIN PORTION OF THE SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING MODERATE TO HEAVY
AMOUNTS OF RAINFALL TO THE CENTRAL VALLEY AND HEAVY SNOW AND LOW
SNOW LEVELS TO THE FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS. THIS STORM SYSTEM
WILL ALSO BRING WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH OVER THE OVER THE
HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA AND SOUTHERN
CASCADES.

THIS VERY COLD LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BRING VERY COLD
TEMPERATURES TO THE REGION THIS WEEKEND WITH DAYTIME TEMPERATURES
ONLY WARMING INTO THE MID 40S TO LOWER 50S FOR DAYTIME HIGHS IN
THE CENTRAL VALLEY AND MAINLY IN THE 20S AND 30S FOR THE
MOUNTAINS.

SNOW LEVELS ARE FORECAST TO LOWER TO AROUND 1500 TO 2500 FEET LATER
SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT
ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL OVER THE WEST SLOPES OF THE NORTHERN SIERRA
NEVADA AND OVER THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS WITH A FOOT OR MORE SNOW
ABOVE 4000 FEET AND TWO TO FOUR FEET OF SNOW ABOVE 6000 FEET. FOR
THE FOOTHILLS 3 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOWFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE ABOVE
2000 FEET THIS WEEKEND. SOME LIGHT AMOUNTS OF SNOW MAY EVEN FALL
IN PARTS OF REDDING SUNDAY NIGHT. RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO
BE 1 TO 2 INCHES IN THE VALLEY AND 2 TO 3 INCHES IN THE FOOTHILLS WITH
THE MAJORITY OF THE PRECIPTIATION FALLING THIS WEEKEND.

RESIDENTS OF THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILL ELEVATIONS...AND ANYONE
PLANNING TRAVEL TO THE MOUNTAINS THIS WEEKEND SHOULD MONITOR THE
LATEST WEATHER FORECASTS AND PREPARE FOR HAZARDOUS WINTER WEATHER
CONDITIONS THIS WEEKEND. CARRY CHAINS AND BE PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE
DELAYS AND THE COLD WINTRY WEATHER.