Late-season storm may be last gasp for California's wet season
By
Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Apr 21, 2022 12:58 PM EDT
|
Updated Apr 22, 2022 5:04 AM EDT
A storm in the process of unloading feet of snow in the mountains of California could be Mother Nature's last hurrah in what has been a lackluster wet season that has featured expanding drought across the parched state.
The late-season storm, which arrived in Northern California late Wednesday, will spread rain across the lower elevations and bury the Sierra Nevada with feet of snow into Friday afternoon. Precipitation will fail to reach the Desert Southwest, but the storm will make its presence felt there with strong winds that will threaten to fan ongoing blazes and ignite new ones.
"The amount of rain will increase water levels a small amount but will fall well short of what is needed to replenish them to the typical levels for late April," AccuWeather Meteorologist Ryan Adamson said about the rain sweeping through California to close out the week and its impact on the state's reservoir levels.
A general 0.25-0.50 of an inch of rain is forecast for valley and coastal areas with up to 1 inch of rain possible in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Adamson said this amount of rain would be merely a "drop in the bucket" compared to what is needed to alleviate drought conditions. Over 95% of the state is plagued by severe to extreme drought, according to the United States Drought Monitor. This is an areal increase of nearly 30% compared to the middle of January.
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Since the start of 2022, San Francisco has received a mere 14%, or 1.67 inches, of the 11.70 inches that the city normally receives during this nearly four-month timeframe. Conditions are similarly dire farther south, with Downtown Los Angeles picking up only 20%, or 1.93 inches, of its average 9.73 inches of rain for the same period. This extended period of drier-than-normal weather followed what was an unusually wet end to 2021.
AccuWeather meteorologists say the storm's most significant impact in the Golden State will not be the rain but rather the heavy snow it unloads in the mountains.
Before the last flake falls, 2-4 feet of snow with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 54 inches is forecast above an elevation of about 7,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada, where winter storm warnings remain in effect through Friday morning.
California Highway Patrol posted a picture on Twitter Thursday morning of a vehicle that slid off the roadway and into a river in Truckee, California, as snow fell heavily.
Motorists should anticipate the continuation of difficult driving conditions as well as possible closures at pass level along Interstate 80 through Friday morning.
Forecasters expect a quick return of dry, mild weather in the storm's wake.
"Long-range forecasts indicate that a new storm could arrive in the Pacific Northwest every few days [next week]. In much of California, however, time may be running out," Adamson said.
Each of the storms next week may graze Northern California, but a majority of the state will miss out on any meaningful rainfall.
As April transitions into May, normal precipitation falls drastically. For example, rainfall in San Francisco goes from 1.36 inches in April to just 0.48 of an inch in May. Similar drops occur elsewhere in the Golden State, with far southern portions of California averaging only 0.25-0.30 of an inch of rain in May in cities such as Los Angeles and San Diego.
In terms of temperatures, places such as L.A. will experience a 25-degree Fahrenheit temperature swing from Friday to next Monday with highs in the middle 60s F being replaced with record-challenging 90-degree heat. Near-record warmth is also anticipated in San Diego early next week as temperatures top out in the lower 80s by Monday.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Weather Forecasts
Late-season storm may be last gasp for California's wet season
By Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Apr 21, 2022 12:58 PM EDT | Updated Apr 22, 2022 5:04 AM EDT
A storm in the process of unloading feet of snow in the mountains of California could be Mother Nature's last hurrah in what has been a lackluster wet season that has featured expanding drought across the parched state.
The late-season storm, which arrived in Northern California late Wednesday, will spread rain across the lower elevations and bury the Sierra Nevada with feet of snow into Friday afternoon. Precipitation will fail to reach the Desert Southwest, but the storm will make its presence felt there with strong winds that will threaten to fan ongoing blazes and ignite new ones.
"The amount of rain will increase water levels a small amount but will fall well short of what is needed to replenish them to the typical levels for late April," AccuWeather Meteorologist Ryan Adamson said about the rain sweeping through California to close out the week and its impact on the state's reservoir levels.
A general 0.25-0.50 of an inch of rain is forecast for valley and coastal areas with up to 1 inch of rain possible in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Adamson said this amount of rain would be merely a "drop in the bucket" compared to what is needed to alleviate drought conditions. Over 95% of the state is plagued by severe to extreme drought, according to the United States Drought Monitor. This is an areal increase of nearly 30% compared to the middle of January.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Since the start of 2022, San Francisco has received a mere 14%, or 1.67 inches, of the 11.70 inches that the city normally receives during this nearly four-month timeframe. Conditions are similarly dire farther south, with Downtown Los Angeles picking up only 20%, or 1.93 inches, of its average 9.73 inches of rain for the same period. This extended period of drier-than-normal weather followed what was an unusually wet end to 2021.
AccuWeather meteorologists say the storm's most significant impact in the Golden State will not be the rain but rather the heavy snow it unloads in the mountains.
Before the last flake falls, 2-4 feet of snow with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 54 inches is forecast above an elevation of about 7,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada, where winter storm warnings remain in effect through Friday morning.
California Highway Patrol posted a picture on Twitter Thursday morning of a vehicle that slid off the roadway and into a river in Truckee, California, as snow fell heavily.
Motorists should anticipate the continuation of difficult driving conditions as well as possible closures at pass level along Interstate 80 through Friday morning.
Forecasters expect a quick return of dry, mild weather in the storm's wake.
"Long-range forecasts indicate that a new storm could arrive in the Pacific Northwest every few days [next week]. In much of California, however, time may be running out," Adamson said.
Each of the storms next week may graze Northern California, but a majority of the state will miss out on any meaningful rainfall.
As April transitions into May, normal precipitation falls drastically. For example, rainfall in San Francisco goes from 1.36 inches in April to just 0.48 of an inch in May. Similar drops occur elsewhere in the Golden State, with far southern portions of California averaging only 0.25-0.30 of an inch of rain in May in cities such as Los Angeles and San Diego.
In terms of temperatures, places such as L.A. will experience a 25-degree Fahrenheit temperature swing from Friday to next Monday with highs in the middle 60s F being replaced with record-challenging 90-degree heat. Near-record warmth is also anticipated in San Diego early next week as temperatures top out in the lower 80s by Monday.
In other news:
Report a TypoFor the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.