Potent storm to unleash soaking rain, localized flooding in California

A double-barreled storm will soak California with rain and flash flooding while areas farther north are hit with more snow and ice into Friday.

While the storm will bring beneficial moisture to the region, it will also cause travel disruptions to heavily-populated areas along the Pacific coast.

Travel was halted along part of Highway 20 in Oregon on Wednesday afternoon after multiple avalanches made the mountain road impassable. No injuries were reported and crews quickly worked to clear the snow.

Storm has potential to bring heavy rain to California

A few inches of rain are likely to fall on central and northern California, especially along the west-facing slopes of the Coast Range and the Sierra Nevada. However, some rain will push southward and soak part of Southern California before the week draws to a close.

While sporadic showers will affect areas from San Francisco to Sacramento through Wednesday night during the first part of the storm, the bulk of the rain will be during Thursday and Thursday evening as the second part of the storm rolls ashore. Travel delays are likely in these areas.

Enough rain will fall to cause excess water on the roads, including along the major California highways such as Interstate 5, I-10, I-15 and I-80. In some cases, flash and urban flooding can occur. Motorists should also be on the lookout for debris on the secondary roads in the hilly terrain. Enough rain can fall to cause mudslides, especially in areas recently charred by wildfires.

It is the second part of the double-barreled storm that will also send some rain into Southern California, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews.

"The bulk of the rain will swing through Southern California from Thursday night to Friday morning," Andrews said.

"Part of the Los Angeles basin may receive an inch of rain from the storm," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski.

Some rain will even reach the desert areas, including Palm Springs, California, Las Vegas and Phoenix prior to the end of the week.

Rain will likely surge to above pass levels, including along I-80 at Donner Pass, California, during the bulk of the storm. The very end of the storm could bring a small amount of snow and slippery travel on Friday. However, heavy snow will continue to fall over the high country of the central Sierra Nevada with 1 foot of snow or more possible over the ridges.

Farther north, the storm has a much colder scenario in store.

Snow and ice to cause travel disruptions in Oregon, southern Washington

"The northern Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades can expect 2 feet of snow into Thursday," Pydynowski said.

Slippery travel due to a couple of inches of snow and ice will occur in Portland, Oregon, as cold air is funneled westward through the Columbia Gorge.

"Travel along much of the I-5 corridor in Oregon to southern Washington will be slippery," Pydynowski said.

For now it appears the wintry precipitation will remain just southeast of Seattle. Many areas east of the Cascades from Oregon to central Washington can expect slippery travel due to snow and ice during Wednesday to Thursday.

The storm will deliver more drought relief to stricken areas of the West. Much of California and the Southwestern states continue to struggle with long-term drought with the worst conditions gripping central and Southern California.

The snow and rain in the mountains will go a long way toward replenishing streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs.

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