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No Big Storms, But Pesky Cold Ones Likely

Mar 8, 2010; 1:21 PM ET

This will be a week with no big rain and snowstorms for California, the interior Great Basin or Southwest. However, there will be a couple of pesky cold storms that bring precipitation and some problems. Meanwhile, the Northwest will have three separate storms bringing rain and Sierra snow through Friday, especially from the Cascades on west.

Two cold inside sliders move through the Southwest states this week. The first is occurring now and is located on the northern California coast. It can be seen in this visible satellite picture as swirl of clouds.

This cold system will drop southeast tonight and tomorrow moving into northern Arizona tomorrow afternoon and night. As the low moves southeast, it will bring rain and snow showers along its path with rather low snow levels. Snow levels in the Sierra tonight and tomorrow morning will be in the 2,000- to 2,500-foot level. In Southern California, snow levels will drop to 3,500 feet. Not a lot of snow will fall above the snow level, but enough to give small accumulations on non-paved surfaces and produce slippery roads.

Precipitation in Utah and much of northern Arizona will be in the form of snow as snow levels will be 4,000 to 5,000 feet from north to south. The mountains could get 3 to 6 inches of snow above 6,000 feet, with a slushy coating in the valleys. Only the lowest valleys of Utah will have rain showers. Also, rain showers are likely in the lower deserts of Arizona.

A second storm will bring rain and snow into the Northwest tomorrow night and Wednesday. Energy from that storm will break off and head southeast as well, bringing some light rain and snow to parts of California with even lower snow levels than our first inside slider. Precipitation will then spread into Utah by Wednesday into Wednesday night.

The good news for the Southwest is that sunnier, milder weather will take over Thursday and Friday. In the Northwest, another storm will move off the Pacific later Thursday into Friday in two separate bursts.

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About This Blog

Ken Clark
Ken Clark's Western U.S. weather blog tackles daily weather events with commentary from one of the most experienced and trusted Western U.S. weather experts.