7 p.m. UPDATE: Flakes Starting To Fall In Sierra, Rain Creeping Toward Sacramento

7 p.m. UPDATE: It's cold.

No, really, it's cold, according to CBS13's Steve Large, who will be covering the storm over the next couple of days. Make sure to follow him on Twitter.

The flakes are starting to fall in the Sierra. The snow level is expected to dump down to 2,000 feet overnight.

The strongest part of the storm will likely come after you've gone to bed, especially if you're a Good Day Sacramento viewer.

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6 p.m. UPDATE: At a time when many skiers are eagerly looking for fresh powder in the Sierra, the looming storm is pushing back plans to figure out rules for vacation homes in the Sierra.

The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors pushed back a scheduled Saturday meeting on vacation home rentals. The new date has not been announced.

The National Weather Service is warning that with the rain over the next two days is the threat of scattered thunderstorms in the valley.

The warning comes two days after Sacramento saw its streets turn white from a slow-moving hailstorm that dumped an absurd amount of hail on the area.

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SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Northern California is bracing for a storm that's expected to drop a large amount of snow on the Sierra and drench the valley.

The first rain showers are expected to hit the Sacramento area later this evening, with the rain picking up in intensity overnight and reaching its peak around the Thursday morning commute.

About an inch and a half of rain is expected in the 24 hours between 5 p.m. on Wednesday and 5 p.m. on Thursday in Sacramento.

Caltrans crews are bracing for the worst in Kingvale. Crews are trying to stay ahead of the upcoming storm, putting as many as 30 plows on the roads at a time to keep ahead of what's expected to be snow totals in the Sierra higher than the height of the average person, and even some above average people.