City Crews Kept Busy Unclogging Drains During First Major Weather Event Of 2018

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - City crews were busy Monday clearing drains and dealing with street flooding.

Once-clogged drains are now flowing freely, draining small ponds in the street during our region's first major storm system of the year.

Cars had to maneuver through areas of flooding -- sometimes at a crawl. That was the situation at 9th and X streets in Sacramento where crews closed a portion of the roadway. The National Weather Service (NWS) says we may be seeing more ponding on roadways and in other areas as the rain continues at a fairly steady pace overnight.

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And while it's a hassle for some people, many we spoke to in downtown Sacramento welcome it.

"It's a nice change," said one person.

But what does the recent soaking mean for California's water year? NWS says the valley could get up to two inches of rain by the time the system winds down. And since the water year began on October 1, rainfall in Sacramento has totaled just 5.06 inches or 63 percent of normal.

This wet system won't bring the region up to par, it'll make a decent dent, say, meteorologists.

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Ski resorts are hoping the fresh powder will bring more customers to the slopes. Parts of the Sierra could see upwards of 30 inches of snow.

A winter weather advisory will go into effect tomorrow morning at 4 a.m.