Strong storm bringing inches of rain, feet of mountain snow to California
Another storm will roll into the Pacific Coast states into Friday bringing heavy rain and heavy mountain snow that will significantly impact travel.
An EF0 tornado was confirmed in California on March 13, amid stormy weather up and down the West Coast.
A second and stronger of two storms this week will extend its reach Wednesday night along the Pacific coast and will expand inland over the West into Friday. Following the heavy low-elevation rain and heavy mountain snow, thunderstorms will bring new hazards. While the new storm will create travel problems and some dangers, AccuWeather meteorologists say it will offer some drought relief.
A large storm system will push onshore and well inland into Thursday night. The latest storm dropped 0.50 of an inch to 2 inches of rain on Southern California during Wednesday night. The heaviest and steadiest rain was focused from San Diego to the California deserts and onto Las Vegas during the midday hours on Thursday.
This storm will continue to bring soaking low-elevation rain and significant snow to the passes and higher elevations of the Washington and Oregon Cascades on Thursday.
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Several drivers in San Jacinto, CA, were trapped in mudslides on March 13. Firefighters rescued six people at 6 a.m. Soboba Road was closed for cleanup, per Cal Fire Riverside County Fire Department.
In these areas, the precipitation will linger through the end of the week. However, as the air turns colder, snow levels will dip to nearly 1,000 feet by Friday, which may allow some snowflakes to be seen on the hills around Seattle and Portland, Oregon.
As the storm lingers along the coast, the major airport hubs from Seattle to San Diego may experience ground stops and flight cancellations.
Pockets of dry air will allow the sun to break out for several hours over California, Oregon, Nevada and western Arizona during Thursday afternoon. With cold air aloft, thunderstorms will erupt. These can become quite heavy and gusty with hail in some cases. A couple of isolated tornadoes and waterspouts are possible as well.
Ken Clark gives an update on a busy week of severe weather for Southern California that has brought heavy rain and even a reported tornado. Snow and rain were also widespread in the rest of the state.
In the Sierra Nevada, a general 2-4 feet of snow is forecast to fall over the higher elevations, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ snowfall of 7 feet over some of the ridges and peaks through Thursday night. Soon after the snow piles up, the risk of avalanches will increase on the steep slopes.
Motorists should expect lengthy delays due to slippery conditions with the potential for road closures. Portions of Interstates 5 and 80 over the higher terrain may close for a time during the storm spanning Wednesday to Thursday.
Blizzard conditions are possible in the Sierra Nevada due to gusty winds, which will also kick up big waves along the Pacific Coast.
Drivers were seen navigating snow-covered roads in Soda Springs, California, amid heavy snow on March 12. Several feet of snow are expected to fall in the region over the next few days.
Snow levels will dip to near pass level over the Grapevine in Southern California, with up to a few inches possible from Wednesday night to Thursday night. The ridges and peaks of the mountains in Southern California can pick up a foot of snow or a bit more.
From Thursday to Friday, the storm will cross the Intermountain West with areas of low-elevation rain and mountain snow before triggering an outbreak of severe weather over the Central states from Friday to Saturday and blizzard conditions for parts of the northern Plains.
More storms are lining up over the Pacific with eyes on the West Coast. At least one significant storm is due in for the Northwest and California later this weekend. Additional storms are likely for at least part of the Northwest next week.
The storms through the middle of the month will continue to bolster lakes, reservoirs and rivers in the Northwest to Northern California.
The storms into this weekend will also continue to chip away at the short-term drought conditions that developed in Southern California since the start of the rainy season.
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