Are any more blockbuster storms on the horizon for California?
New storms are poised to impact California over the next week right on the heels of an epic blizzard that buried parts of the state in more than 100 inches of snow.
On March 4, Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter announced the exclusive AccuWeather forecast for no widespread California drought for the next two years.
AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring new storms that may impede cleanup operations in California as residents continue to dig out from beneath mountains of snow following the most recent blizzard to slam the Sierra Nevada.
Dry conditions are in the offing for California by the end of the week but will be sandwiched between two storms. The first is expected to bring wet weather to Southern California through Thursday, followed by another storm over the weekend that will focus precipitation on Northern California.
Regardless of how many storms follow in the days, weeks and months, AccuWeather experts expect California to be free of widespread drought through at least 2025.
Midweek storm to bring rain but limited snow
A storm that was lurking off the Northern California coast Tuesday, bringing rain and high-elevation snow to part of the region, is expected to drop southward and spread wet weather through Central and Southern California through Thursday.
Rain amounts of 0.25-0.75 of an inch are likely in places such as Los Angeles and San Diego. The track of the storm will not promote much in the way of wintry weather for the Sierra Nevada, aside from a few snow showers in central portions of the mountain range.
On Thursday, the storm will continue to move inland across the Southwest, taking most of the rain and snow showers with it into the Four Corners states.
An area of high pressure will build across the state by Friday, resulting in dry conditions and sunshine, according to Zehr.
Next storms may bring more snow to the Sierra Nevada
Two more storms can impact Northern California and the Sierra this weekend into early next week, AccuWeather's Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.
"It is the second storm early next week that can be stronger and bring more snow on top of the areas that were hardest hit in the Sierra Nevada, including Donner Pass," Pastelok said.
As of Wednesday, March 6, snow water equivalent levels across California were pacing at 104% of the historical average, according to the California Department of Water Resources. At the beginning of the year, the measure was a mere 28%.
Pastelok noted that skiing conditions would remain excellent for quite some time given the boost in snowpack, provided that roadways to mountain destinations are safe to travel. A few ski resorts were forced to close on Sunday and Monday as a result of the extreme snow amounts.
Toward the middle of March, Pastelok expects more moisture to aim at the Northwest and the Cascades, as opposed to California.
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