MENDOCINO Co., 12/24/21 — Snow is in the forecast for Mendocino County this Christmas, but it may not arrive until after dark in most areas. Precipitation has already begun with rain and scattered hail in some areas along the coast. Snowfall will start in the mountains, but will slowly reach lower elevations around Saturday night or Sunday morning.
“We expect snow levels to fall to 500 feet,” said National Weather Service (NWS) Meteorologist Jonathan Garner.
Some amount of snow is expected in interior portions of the county includingUkiah, Willits and Laytonville. A winter storm watch is in place for Ukiah, and a winter storm warning has been issued for northern parts of Mendocino County near Laytonville. Northeast Mendocino County, including Round Valley and Covelo, is expected to see some of the heaviest storm activity. The hills and mountains around Laytonville are also likely to be impacted.
Then on Tuesday, inland temperatures are expected to drop below freezing in the morning, with forecasts around 25 degrees in Laytonville, 29 degrees in Ukiah and 35 degrees in Fort Bragg. Temperatures may drop below 20 degrees in the area around Round Valley. Forecasters are warning people to protect their “pets, plants and pipes.”
Winter weather conditions will make road travel difficult, and Garner advised readers to be especially cautious about hail, which can quickly create icy, slippery driving conditions. If caught in a hail storm, drivers are advised to slow down, avoid slamming on the brakes and avoid overcorrecting, if possible.
You can find our helpful list of winter weather info resources to check for specific weather forecasts and current road conditions in your area below. Conditions may vary across the North Coast, and these links will provide updates from official agency sources:
Mendocino Voice Winter weather resources:
- Check your specific forecast at this link along with the National Weather Service advisories and warnings, as well as their Facebook page and their Twitter page
- Check the CalTrans QuickMap for current road closures or call 1-800-GAS-ROAD
- Check for current accidents at the CHP traffic update page
- Traffic cameras can be seen here
- You can also check out the Weather Underground to look for weather stations in your area.
- Check the PG&E current outage map to find or report power outages
- NWS is seeking snowfall reports, and you can submit them to this website.
- We recommend meteorologist Daniel Swain’s Weather West Blog as a good place to find more in-depth current weather analysis