Three Inside Sliders This Week
Three rather compact inside sliders will move from northwest to southeast across the West Coast this week. None of these storms will be big precipitation producers and will only have a small impact on areas that have had a very dry winter so far. However, there will be precipitation, both rain and snow, that will affect what you wear and how you travel.
The first of these storms has been moving south through the Central Valley of California today and will move into Arizona and New Mexico tomorrow into tomorrow night.
Monday Evening GFS:
The second low comes out of the Gulf of Alaska and moves through the Northwest states tomorrow with rain and snow showers, then south across California Wednesday then into Arizona by Thursday.
Wednesday Morning GFS:
After that storm, there will be more of a break between number two and three. In fact for Southern California, the Central Valley and the Desert Southwest, Storm number three is likely to move into the Northwest Saturday, affect portions of California Saturday night and Sunday before moving into the southern Rockies Monday.
Sunday Morning GFS:
The greatest amount of precipitation will be just ahead of and to the right of the low itself. The mountains and even some of the high desert areas of the Great Basin will get some snow with of course the greatest amounts over the mountains. This snow is sorely needed for both the ski resorts and for the water it will produce later this year. In lower elevations, there will be rain showers and, near where the low moves, even a thunderstorm. Due to low freezing levels expect any thunderstorm to contain small hail.
Though these storms are not drought-busters by a long shot, it is good to see some real winter weather in a winter that hasn’t had much in the Southwest.