Last storm to close out California’s wet stretch with flooding rain, mountain snow
Heavy rain and flooding risks will shift from interior Southern California into Friday night to the Southwest states this weekend. This is the last storm in a train to affect the region.
Thunderstorms roaring through the Southwest on Nov. 19 struck areas like Phoenix especially hard.
A high-impact storm will close out a week-long stretch of active weather in California, bringing widespread rain and accumulating mountain snow into the weekend. The storm will raise the risk of flooding and landslides in areas already soaked from prior rainfall.
The heaviest and steadiest rainfall has ended along the immediate coast of Southern California, where many areas picked up 1-2 inches of rain. Sporadic showers will continue after the steady rain departs.
Persistent downpours are expected to continue over interior Southern California early Saturday morning, increasing the risk of flash flooding. At pass levels along interstates 5, 10, 15 and 40 in Southern California, all or mostly rain is forecast, resulting in wet roads on Saturday morning.
As the system moves inland this weekend, it is forecast to spread showers and thunderstorms into the Southwest, Front Range, Texas and portions of the Great Plains. Gusty winds and reduced visibility in heavier downpours could lead to travel disruptions for early Thanksgiving travelers.
In the higher terrain of New Mexico and Colorado, rain may mix with or change to snow, especially on Interstate 70 in the Colorado Rockies.
This storm will track eastward as a cross-country system during the busy travel period before Thanksgiving, bringing the risk of renewed flooding from the Texas Hill Country to Missouri, as well as potential travel problems as far north as the Canada border due to snow and rain, and rain and fog-related delays along the Atlantic Seaboard.
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In the wake of the storm, the new, dry weather pattern will develop, leading to a minor Santa Ana wind event. Increasing gusty winds will occur mainly in the mountains and through passes and canyons, including along portions of the Grapevine.
A break in storms is expected across California for much of next week, with mainly dry weather and warmer conditions. The next chance of rain may not arrive until after Thanksgiving Day and will likely begin in parts of Northern California before spreading southward to close out the week and over the extended holiday weekend.
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