Beneficial rain, snow spreading across Southwest
Heavy rainfall and mountain snow will continue to target the West Coast, but by midweek, AccuWeather forecasters say a change in the weather pattern will result in some drier conditions.
As the storm train continues to slam California into the third week of January, AccuWeather meteorologists say the upcoming waves of moisture poised to move onshore will track farther inland across the interior Southwest when compared to prior events in the stormy pattern.
"Many of the storms that roll in from the Pacific through the first part of this week will be much more efficient at pushing ample moisture across the interior southwestern U.S.," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said, adding that this will translate into feet of snow over the mountains and some rain in the lower-elevation desert locations.
The first batch of unsettled weather arrived for the Four Corners states late Saturday night and lasted into Sunday evening. A new storm will affect the area from Monday to Tuesday.
Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories remained in place for parts of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah on Monday.
Phoenix and Las Vegas are two low-elevation cities that could pick up around a month's worth of rain in a matter of days as these waves of moisture move across the interior. Rainfall amounts in Phoenix could approach or exceed 1 inch by the middle of the week, while Las Vegas may receive around 0.50 of an inch. Each city averages 0.87 of an inch and 0.56 of an inch in January, respectively.
Tucson, Arizona, has exceeded its monthly rainfall average for January of 0.84 of an inch with the upcoming storms. At least 1.20 inches of rain has fallen on the city through Monday morning, since Jan. 1.
Since this region has been spared from the heavy rainfall that has been pounding California, AccuWeather forecasters say the wet weather will be more of a benefit than a risk to lives and property.
Travelers throughout the region may face slowdowns on the roadways, as well as slippery spots as the rain initially comes down and mixes with oil residue on the road surface.
Each storm through Tuesday will boost the snowpack across the mountains of the interior Southwest as heavy snow is expected from the Wasatch Range in Utah to the mountains of northern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico and the Colorado Rockies.
In Flagstaff, Arizona, more than a foot of snow has already occurred with no signs of the snow slowing down. Flagstaff recorded 14.8" of snow on Sunday, which was a daily snowfall record for the city. The city has received 17.7 inches of snow during the weekend. Snow will begin to pick up in Salt Lake City on Monday, which could create slippery driving conditions.
"A significant amount of this moisture will fall on the Colorado basin, where snowmelt later this winter and spring can go a long way," Sosnowski said.
Roughly 80% of the Colorado River basin has at least reached the abnormally dry threshold on the United States Drought Monitor classification scale.
Utah is bearing the brunt of drought conditions. According to the drought monitor, nearly all of the state is reporting drought conditions that range from moderate to extreme.
In the rest of the Four Corners region, drought conditions have improved slightly since the fall months but still remain in parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.
The heavy snow, despite the long-term benefits, can lead to significant disruptions for those on the roadways, including along stretches of Interstate 70 in Colorado and Utah and Interstate 40 in Arizona and New Mexico.
AccuWeather meteorologists will be closely monitoring each of the storms as they exit the Southwest and enter the nation's midsection this week, including one that could bring an extensive swath of snow across the Plains and Midwest with severe weather in the South.
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