Late-season storm to drench Northern California, bring thunderstorm risk and Sierra Nevada snow
A slow-moving storm will bring soaking rain to Northern and Central California, heavy snow to the Sierra Nevada and locally potent thunderstorms, with flash flooding, gusty winds and hail possible through midweek.
AccuWeather’s Anna Azallion breaks down the details of wet weather on its way through the West.
As one of the last major storms of the rainy season pushes into California, heavy rain will drench the central and northern parts of the state while snow piles up in the Sierra Nevada. The storm will also bring rain and mountain snow showers to other parts of the West.
The rainy season runs from Oct. 1 through Apr. 30, with little to no rainfall typically occurring across much of California from May 1 through Sept. 30. For example, San Francisco’s historical average rainfall during this period is just 0.73 of an inch.
As of Wednesday morning, local time, San Francisco picked up just under 1 inch, while San Jose, California ended up with just over 1 inch. Meanwhile, Sacramento had received a little over 2 inches from the storm. Oroville, California, picked up close to 3 inches of rain since the start of the week.
Showers will be more sporadic across much of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, northern and central Nevada and parts of Utah.
Some of the rain in California fell as intense thunderstorm downpours on Tuesday. Several flooding incidents were reported in the Central Valley, along with a few reports of hail, damaging wind gusts and even a tornado. Only spotty, brief showers will linger into Wednesday across this area.
Despite travel and outdoor inconveniences, the storm will generally be welcome as the region heads into its climatologically dry season in the coming weeks.
"A storm early next week may affect California, but its southward track along the coast and a lack of moisture may limit rainfall," said Houk.
As colder air moved in, snow levels dropped quickly in the Sierra Nevada and Siskiyous. As temperatures fell Tuesday night, snow began to accumulate, turning roads slushy and slippery along Interstate 80 near Donner Pass.
Between 8 and 16 inches of snow is forecast for the Sierra Nevada passes into Wednesday evening. Locally higher amounts are possible, with up to 2-3 feet at the highest elevations. Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort reported approximately a foot of new snow as of Wednesday morning.
Due to limited moisture, only spotty showers and thunderstorms are forecast for the southern third of California and the interior Southwest. Snowfall in the Southern California mountains will be minimal and not a travel concern. However, gusty winds may pose problems for high-profile vehicles and could kick up dust or elevate wildfire risk where showers do not occur.
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