Rain, snow spread across the West Coast
By
Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Mar 15, 2021 3:33 PM EST
A surge of moisture tracking across the Southwest on March 11 brought precipitation across the area in different forms, including snow and hail for some who haven't seen it in years.
Another round of stormy weather was pushing across the West Coast, before more tranquil weather will return.
The month of March began with stormy weather, delivering mountain snow, heavy rain and hail that coated the streets across parts of California.
By the time the weekend drew to a close, yet another storm began to impact the Pacific Coast.
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Wet weather moved into the Pacific Northwest and northwestern coast of California on Sunday. By Sunday night, rain and mountain snow spread through all of Northern California and began to reach Central California.
Snow will be most likely and heaviest across the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California into Monday evening. Snow is also likely across some of the higher elevations in southeastern Oregon and Nevada.
While it is not expected to be as strong as the last storm, this storm is forecast to be strong enough to bring a dose of colder air with it.
"With colder air moving in with the storm, there will once again be the potential for some localized reports of hail, especially across Northern and Central California where the pocket of coldest air will move overhead," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty.
Unlike the first storm, however, rainfall is not likely to be as widespread across southern parts of the San Joaquin Valley down to the L.A. Basin. Still, some locations may manage to pick up 0.25 to 0.50 of an inch of rain. Enough rain is forecast to fall to cause some travel delays across Central and Southern California into Monday evening.
Some snow may also reach the higher elevations of Southern California.
Any non-flooding rainfall is welcomed at this point as opportunities for wet weather will be diminishing ahead of the looming dry season and worsening drought.
As of Thursday, almost 30 percent of the state of California was still in an extreme or exceptional drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
On Monday night and Tuesday, this storm is forecast to shift into the Rockies, delivering another round of snow to areas in Colorado and Wyoming that were pummeled with a historic snowstorm over the weekend.
But the eastward shift in the storm will bring drier conditions to the West Coast as well.
"Along with the drier conditions moving in for midweek, there will also be a surge of warmer air," said Douty.
Some chillier air will still linger at coastal locations. However, places like Sacramento, California, and Las Vegas can expect a 10-degree temperature jump from Monday to the middle and latter part of the week.
Despite the noticeable jump in temperature for most across California, Nevada and Oregon, these temperatures will be normal for mid- to late March.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
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News / Winter Weather
Rain, snow spread across the West Coast
By Courtney Travis, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Updated Mar 15, 2021 3:33 PM EST
A surge of moisture tracking across the Southwest on March 11 brought precipitation across the area in different forms, including snow and hail for some who haven't seen it in years.
Another round of stormy weather was pushing across the West Coast, before more tranquil weather will return.
The month of March began with stormy weather, delivering mountain snow, heavy rain and hail that coated the streets across parts of California.
By the time the weekend drew to a close, yet another storm began to impact the Pacific Coast.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Wet weather moved into the Pacific Northwest and northwestern coast of California on Sunday. By Sunday night, rain and mountain snow spread through all of Northern California and began to reach Central California.
Snow will be most likely and heaviest across the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California into Monday evening. Snow is also likely across some of the higher elevations in southeastern Oregon and Nevada.
While it is not expected to be as strong as the last storm, this storm is forecast to be strong enough to bring a dose of colder air with it.
"With colder air moving in with the storm, there will once again be the potential for some localized reports of hail, especially across Northern and Central California where the pocket of coldest air will move overhead," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty.
Unlike the first storm, however, rainfall is not likely to be as widespread across southern parts of the San Joaquin Valley down to the L.A. Basin. Still, some locations may manage to pick up 0.25 to 0.50 of an inch of rain. Enough rain is forecast to fall to cause some travel delays across Central and Southern California into Monday evening.
Some snow may also reach the higher elevations of Southern California.
Any non-flooding rainfall is welcomed at this point as opportunities for wet weather will be diminishing ahead of the looming dry season and worsening drought.
As of Thursday, almost 30 percent of the state of California was still in an extreme or exceptional drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Related:
On Monday night and Tuesday, this storm is forecast to shift into the Rockies, delivering another round of snow to areas in Colorado and Wyoming that were pummeled with a historic snowstorm over the weekend.
But the eastward shift in the storm will bring drier conditions to the West Coast as well.
"Along with the drier conditions moving in for midweek, there will also be a surge of warmer air," said Douty.
Some chillier air will still linger at coastal locations. However, places like Sacramento, California, and Las Vegas can expect a 10-degree temperature jump from Monday to the middle and latter part of the week.
Despite the noticeable jump in temperature for most across California, Nevada and Oregon, these temperatures will be normal for mid- to late March.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo