Rounds of storms to send wind, rain and snow into the West Coast this week

Rounds of rain are expected to soak areas from Washington to Southern California this week.

The first storm rolled ashore in Washington and Oregon on Monday and settled into Northern California on Tuesday.

Rain is forecast to push farther south across California during Tuesday night.

Rain will fall on San Francisco, as well as the Paradise, California, area into Tuesday night. More rain is in the offing prior to the end of the week.

Overall, this first round will bring mostly rain, but the higher elevations of the Cascades in Washington are likely to receive snow.

Snow levels with this first storm are likely to remain above the major passes, but capture some of the ski resorts in the region.

While the first round of rain will mainly impact areas north of the Central Valley, the second storm is more likely to reach farther into Southern California and over much of the Southwest states in general.

"After dousing the Pacific Northwest with rain early this week, the Pacific storm train will continue to chug south along the West Coast during the middle and latter parts of the week," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Jake Sojda.

Another round of drenching rain will settle over Northern California from Wednesday to Thursday.

"Much-needed rain is scheduled to reach Southern California and inland into the Great Basin and Desert Southwest, Wednesday night and Thursday," Sojda added.

For many, the rain diving through central and southern portions of California will be welcome. However, rainfall could once again be heavy enough at times to cause flash flooding and mudslides.

The last burst of rain to reach the Los Angeles area was on Thanksgiving Day, where over half an inch fell at LAX airport.

Heavy rain could also cause travel headaches by greatly reducing visibility and causing slick roads due to the greasy residue that typically occurs on roads during extended dry weather.

Meanwhile, snow will fall in the higher elevations of the Sierra Mountains in California.

While ski resorts will rejoice, falling snow levels will create even more travel headaches where passes remain open throughout the Sierra.

"Donner Pass could be measuring snow in feet by Friday morning, and it’s not out of the question that the pass would need to be shut down for a time Thursday into Thursday night, when the bulk of the snow is expected to fall there," Sojda said.

"The heaviest rainfall totals are expected in the coastal ranges and lower foothills of the Sierra, with more intermittent rain and lesser amounts in the central valley and upper deserts," he said.

As the storm moves farther inland across the Great Basin on Thursday and Thursday night, precipitation type will be greatly dependent on elevation. In Nevada and Utah, the valleys will have mainly rain showers, while snow showers fall in the peaks.

"Snow levels could drop low enough, far enough south to bring some snow-capped peaks just outside of Las Vegas," Sojda added.

Both deadly California fires are fully contained

The Camp Fire, which ravaged Paradise earlier this month, according to CalFire, was officially declared 100 percent contained on Sunday. Hundreds of people are still missing two weeks after the fire erupted, and the incoming downpours could complicate the search.

Any fire evacuees living in tents should prepare for an extended period of damp conditions. Anyone near a burn scar area should ensure they are not located downhill, and therefore at risk of being impacted by mudslides.

Without vegetation to stabilize the ground, burn scar areas are significantly more susceptible to mudslides and washouts when the ground becomes saturated. The town of Montecito, California, was devastated by such an event last January.

The Woolsey Fire in Southern California was 100-percent contained as of the night before Thanksgiving Day.

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