The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

REDWOOD COAST-MENDOCINO COAST-NORTH COAST INTERIOR- UPPER TRINITY RIVER-MENDOCINO INTERIOR- 424 AM PST SAT DEC 1 2007

...RAIN ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG WINDS AND HAZARDOUS MARINE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SUNDAY AND MONDAY...

A STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA SUNDAY AND MONDAY. CONFIDENCE HAS IMPROVED ON THE STRENGTH AND TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL INTENSIFY OVER THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COASTAL WATERS TONIGHT AS THE SYSTEM NEARS LAND. THE WINDS WILL LIKELY REACH STORM FORCE STRENGTH OVER THE COASTAL WATERS SUNDAY. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED ALONG COASTAL LOCATIONS IN ADDITION TO THE NORTH COAST INTERIOR BEGINNING LATE TONIGHT AND LASTING THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. GUSTS TO 60 MPH ARE POSSIBLE IN FAVORED LOCATIONS IN THESE REGIONS ON RIDGETOPS AND COASTAL HEADLANDS.

COLD AIR IN PLACE OVER THE REGION TODAY AND TONIGHT WILL BRING SNOW LEVELS DOWN TO AROUND 3000 FEET...WITH LOCALLY LOWER LEVELS DOWN TO 2500 FEET OVER THE SISKIYOU MTS AND TRINITY ALPS. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 6 INCHES MAY BE SEEN ACROSS THE SISKIYOU MTS LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING...BEFORE WARM AIR MOVES INTO THE REGION SUNDAY AFTERNOON. SNOW LEVELS WILL QUICKLY RISE TO ABOVE 7500 FEET BY EARLY MONDAY MORNING.

THE WARM FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING STEADY RAIN ACROSS NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA SUNDAY. MORE SIGNIFICANT RAIN IS EXPECTED WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE COLD FRONT ON MONDAY. ALTHOUGH RAIN IS EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA...MOST OF THE RAIN WILL FALL OVER DEL NORTE AND HUMBOLDT COUNTIES. EXPECT 2 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN...WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS OVER NORTHERN DEL NORTE COUNTY AND TERRAIN FAVORED REGIONS. RISES OF RIVERS AND STREAMS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE RAINFALL TOTALS.

THIS STORM WILL ALSO GENERATE HIGH SEAS AND DANGEROUS WIND WAVES OVER THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WATERS LATE TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY. LARGE DANGEROUS WAVES WILL ALSO IMPACT THE SURF ZONE EARLY IN THE WEEK AS A RESULT OF THE INCREASED SWELL.

THOSE PLANNING TRAVEL LATE IN THE WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK SHOULD BE AWARE THAT THE COMBINATION OF HEAVY RAINS AND STRONG WINDS MAY LEAD TO ROCK OR DEBRIS SLIDES.

Oh, I forgot I am in Northern Washington right now. It has been snowing all day and the roads are icy and dangerous. Oh to be back in Cali. It does make it feel a little more like Christmas around here.

I just crossed over the pass from Weaverville to Redding today about noon and it was snowing heavily and snow was beginning to build on the road surface. It was cold up there. One of the guides floating past yesterday afternoon told me the water temp was 39 degrees. Standing waist deep in it, it felt colder!

Those steelhead can sense the coming storms and get grabby. My weather link says it is 37 degrees with a 4 mph east wind, but forecasting a 25 -30 mph south wind and rain for Weaverville for the next couple of days and then Thurs - Sat. It will knock all the leaves off the trees, freak the fish out for a few days then it should get fun! I love it when it snows up there.

Was it snowing just on the passes or down by the river too?

Just on the East/Redding side of the pass down to below 2000 feet elevation.