Rain to return to California, just in time for New Year's celebrations
A new storm from the Pacific not only threatens to bring more rain back into California, but may also get New Year's Eve revelers wet and it could rain on someone's parade.
Flash flooding and mudslides buried communities across Southern California on Dec. 24. Many homes and vehicles were seen buried in the mud and debris in the aftermath of the flooding on Dec. 25.
Following several days of dry, sunny and windy conditions, a new storm packing rain and travel delays will roll into California later this week.
California and much of the Pacific Coast and portions of the western United States are getting a break from the siege of storms that had been ongoing for weeks in December. The storms brought one to three months' worth of rain in just a few days. The dry pattern will last through Tuesday in most areas and is needed to help streams and rivers recede from their high levels.
Gusty winds from Monday will ease on Tuesday. The fog that formed over California's Central Valley over the weekend will linger into Tuesday. However, the fog will only last a few days, unlike the fog that persisted for weeks earlier in December.
Looking ahead, all dry patterns must come to an end. However, rather than California and the Southwest remaining dry for weeks, moisture is expected to return to the area by the middle of the week.
This time, the moisture will move up from the south and the subtropical Pacific, rather than from the north or west.
Despite the subtropical origin of the storm's moisture, rainfall is not expected to be excessive in general. There will still be some pockets where the rain is heavy enough to renew the risk of mudslides and flash flooding, such as along the south- and west-facing slopes of the Transverse Range in Southern California. Fortunately, such heavy rain will not be widespread, nor will the related problems.
Most of the streams and rivers should be able to handle the rain without significant flooding. There can be the usual ponding along some streets and highways where drainage is poor.
The showers may interfere with New Year's Eve revelry.
Showers will overspread much of Southern and Central California during the afternoon and early nighttime hours on New Year's Eve, spreading to Northern California, Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada, and Phoenix late Wednesday night and Thursday.
People heading to and participating in the annual parade in Pasadena, California, on New Year's Day may want to wear waterproof shoes, a warm jacket and a plastic rain poncho, as AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures are forecast to be in the 50s F. Temperatures will recover a bit in the afternoon for the football game, but it is bound to shower at least once or twice and could rain a lot more often than that.
Freezing levels will be above the Southern California passes with the storm. Freezing levels will rise as the storm progresses from Wednesday night to early Friday in the Sierra Nevada. There can be some slush at the onset at Donner Pass, California.
It may take until later Thursday afternoon or evening for showers to expand northward into western Oregon and Washington.
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When the main body of the Pacific storm swings toward the California coast from Friday to Saturday, which may occur over the first weekend of 2026, freezing levels may drop low enough for snow to fall in earnest over Donner Pass, and heavy snow may accumulate over the Sierra Nevada.
The weather for the upcoming weekend will depend on the movement of the storm, with more showers versus the potential for widespread heavy rain to return.
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