CHICO — The consecutive stretch of sunny Spring days is coming to an end Friday with a storm system approaching and lingering through the weekend.
From Friday through Sunday, Chico and surrounding valley areas are looking at one to one and a half inches of rain with Paradise and other foothill areas seeing as high as two inches with the amount increasing as elevations get higher, said Sarah Purdue, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office.
“Red Bluff could see a half-inch to an inch of rain and everything in between from Red Bluff to Chico,” Purdue said.
Additionally, 35-mile-per-hour wind gusts are expected throughout the valley between Red Bluff, Chico and parts of Glenn County.
Snow in these areas is expected to be minimal with the level projected at 6,000 to 7,000 feet in elevation. Purdue said the number will drop to 3,500 in mountain areas north of Redding.
According to the forecast provided by the National Weather Service, there could still be traffic delays, chain controls and icy roads in the mountains. Thunderstorms also have a chance of occurring today and Saturday.
At Lake Oroville, the California Department of Water Resources continues to release between 6,000-10,000 cubic feet per second, said DWR spokesperson Raquel Borrayo, as well as from the Hyatt Powerplant.
“DWR plans to maintain Feather River releases at 10,000 cfs through the weekend, but releases may be adjusted to account for higher inflows into Lake Oroville,” Borrayo said. “Ongoing releases from Lake Oroville provide flood protection to the city of Oroville and downstream communities and ensure storage space remains for ongoing rain runoff and future snowmelt.”
Borrayo added that the State Water Project has increased Lake Oroville’s water storage by roughly 617 acre-feet so far this year.
“Releases are coordinated closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other water operators and are adjusted as needed to account for continuing runoff,” Borrayo said. “DWR continues to monitor lake levels, weather forecasts, and mountain snow levels to optimize water storage at Lake Oroville and meet environmental requirements while allowing for carryover storage into next year.”
As of Thursday, Lake Oroville’s water level was at 865.2 feet, still above what it was for March 21, 2023 when it was at 858.25, but the gap is closing between the two. In 2023, the lake hit its peak of 900 feet on June 21.
Shasta Lake is slowly trending upward in level and was measured at 1,046.12 feet at noon Thursday. The Magalia Reservoir is at 2,192.9 feet and Paradise Lake is at 2,568.8 feet.
DWR will be conducting its next snow survey at Phillips Station on April 2.
