Beneficial rain, snow returning to Southwest
By
Jake Sojda, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Jan 19, 2021 3:18 PM EDT
A blizzard that hit the midwest left Dickinson County, Iowa, in near-whiteout conditions creating dangerous travel conditions.
A storm system is bringing needed rainfall and mountain snow to portions of the Desert Southwest early this week.
"The same setup helping to drive strong winds across California has turned into a large area of low pressure over Baja California," explained AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski.
"This area of low pressure will then slowly spin eastward through the Desert Southwest and northern Mexico into the middle of the week."
Areas of snow and gusty winds spread across the southern Rockies beginning Monday night.
This radar image shows the rain and snow developing over the Four Corners region early Tuesday morning. (AccuWeather)
"The greatest amount of snow will fall on the range of the southern Rockies known as the Sangre de Cristo Mountains into Tuesday night," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist John Feerick said.
"From 6-12 inches of snow is likely over the high country of these mountains in southernmost Colorado and northern New Mexico," added Feerick.
An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 20 inches is foreseen over the ridges and peaks in the region. From one to several inches of snow can fall at intermediate elevations in southern Colorado, central and northern New Mexico, northeastern Arizona and southeastern Utah.
Strong winds will also whip along the leading edge of the advancing cold air through Tuesday night.
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"Travel along parts of Interstate 40 and other local routes could become tricky, with reduced visibility, blowing snow, blowing dust where there isn't snow, and a risk for blowovers for high-profile vehicles," Pydynowski explained.
While snow falls in the higher ground, lower elevations will receive beneficial rainfall. Much of the interior Southwest remains in extreme or exceptional drought conditions, according to the United States Drought Monitor. From Tuesday through Thursday, rounds of rainfall will slowly slide eastward across the region.
Phoenix, Tucson and Yuma, Arizona, have not recorded measurable rainfall since Dec. 10, 2020. Las Vegas last officially recorded measurable rainfall on Dec. 17. Before that date, rain last fell on April 20, 2020. Since then, Las Vegas has only recorded 1% of their normal rainfall.
Even with this storm, it's not a guarantee that Las Vegas will pick up any measurable rainfall.
"The storm may track too far south, leaving Las Vegas just chilly and dry instead. Places like Palm Springs, California, Phoenix, Tucson and Yuma, Arizona, have a much higher chance of seeing appreciable rainfall," Pydynowski said.
Some lucky spots in Southern California, Arizona and New Mexico could receive 0.25 to 0.50 of an inch of rainfall. While it won't be drought-eliminating rainfall, it will certainly help replenish reservoirs in the region. If any downpours become heavy enough, flash flooding could become a greater concern as well.
The heaviest rainfall is expected to remain south of the border, across parts of Baja California and the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains in northwestern Mexico. These areas will bear the brunt of the risk for flash flooding and perhaps mudslides.
For areas in the Southwest that do end up missing on much beneficial rainfall, there may be more chances just on the horizon.
"The storm in the Southwest early this week looks to open the gates for additional storms across the region over the next couple of weeks," said AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok. "Another storm looks to arrive later in the week, bringing another chance for rain and snow to this parched region of the country."
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Winter Weather
Beneficial rain, snow returning to Southwest
By Jake Sojda, AccuWeather meteorologist
Updated Jan 19, 2021 3:18 PM EDT
A blizzard that hit the midwest left Dickinson County, Iowa, in near-whiteout conditions creating dangerous travel conditions.
A storm system is bringing needed rainfall and mountain snow to portions of the Desert Southwest early this week.
"The same setup helping to drive strong winds across California has turned into a large area of low pressure over Baja California," explained AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski.
"This area of low pressure will then slowly spin eastward through the Desert Southwest and northern Mexico into the middle of the week."
Areas of snow and gusty winds spread across the southern Rockies beginning Monday night.
This radar image shows the rain and snow developing over the Four Corners region early Tuesday morning. (AccuWeather)
"The greatest amount of snow will fall on the range of the southern Rockies known as the Sangre de Cristo Mountains into Tuesday night," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist John Feerick said.
"From 6-12 inches of snow is likely over the high country of these mountains in southernmost Colorado and northern New Mexico," added Feerick.
An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 20 inches is foreseen over the ridges and peaks in the region. From one to several inches of snow can fall at intermediate elevations in southern Colorado, central and northern New Mexico, northeastern Arizona and southeastern Utah.
Strong winds will also whip along the leading edge of the advancing cold air through Tuesday night.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
"Travel along parts of Interstate 40 and other local routes could become tricky, with reduced visibility, blowing snow, blowing dust where there isn't snow, and a risk for blowovers for high-profile vehicles," Pydynowski explained.
While snow falls in the higher ground, lower elevations will receive beneficial rainfall. Much of the interior Southwest remains in extreme or exceptional drought conditions, according to the United States Drought Monitor. From Tuesday through Thursday, rounds of rainfall will slowly slide eastward across the region.
Phoenix, Tucson and Yuma, Arizona, have not recorded measurable rainfall since Dec. 10, 2020. Las Vegas last officially recorded measurable rainfall on Dec. 17. Before that date, rain last fell on April 20, 2020. Since then, Las Vegas has only recorded 1% of their normal rainfall.
Even with this storm, it's not a guarantee that Las Vegas will pick up any measurable rainfall.
"The storm may track too far south, leaving Las Vegas just chilly and dry instead. Places like Palm Springs, California, Phoenix, Tucson and Yuma, Arizona, have a much higher chance of seeing appreciable rainfall," Pydynowski said.
Some lucky spots in Southern California, Arizona and New Mexico could receive 0.25 to 0.50 of an inch of rainfall. While it won't be drought-eliminating rainfall, it will certainly help replenish reservoirs in the region. If any downpours become heavy enough, flash flooding could become a greater concern as well.
The heaviest rainfall is expected to remain south of the border, across parts of Baja California and the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains in northwestern Mexico. These areas will bear the brunt of the risk for flash flooding and perhaps mudslides.
Related:
For areas in the Southwest that do end up missing on much beneficial rainfall, there may be more chances just on the horizon.
"The storm in the Southwest early this week looks to open the gates for additional storms across the region over the next couple of weeks," said AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok. "Another storm looks to arrive later in the week, bringing another chance for rain and snow to this parched region of the country."
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo