Series of storms and persistent cold to grip the West through midweek
A southward dip in the jet stream will deliver more rain and mountain snow to the western U.S. through midweek.
In the aftermath of the record-setting rain and snow across the Pacific Coast late last week, forecasters say that a stormy pattern will persist across the West as February ends and March begins.
By late in the week, the pattern will turn slightly more moderate along the California coast as the jet stream becomes less amplified over the Western states. This will allow a minor break from the storms.
However, into Wednesday, a broad southward dip in the jet stream will help to guide coastal storms into the Pacific Northwest and California.
"A continuation of cold and unsettled conditions is expected along the West Coast through midweek as waves of energy and moisture dive in from the Pacific," explained AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham.
Even though incoming storms through Wednesday will be much less potent in terms of rain and snow for Southern California, the more spread-out nature of the storms along the Pacific coast from Washington and Oregon to California will still be impactful.
"The features to push into the West Coast during the first half of this week will not contain nearly as much moisture as the storm last week," stated AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty.
"Across the lower terrain, a consistently wet pattern is expected in places like the San Francisco Bay Area, many locations in the San Joaquin Valley and even into the Los Angeles Basin into midweek," explained Buckingham.
During Tuesday night, snow and rain began to shift out of Washington and portions of northern Oregon and focused mainly across California and the Southwest.
Cities like Fresno, California, are forecast to have rounds of rain showers through midweek. Last Friday, the city observed around 2.16 inches of rain over 24 hours, with rainfall totals Saturday adding an additional 0.69 of an inch.
Locations across the higher terrain and mountain passes of Northern California, like Lassen Park, Donner Pass and Echo Pass, could see upwards of 3-4 feet of snow through Wednesday.
Along with AccuWeather meteorologists’ forecasts for more heavy snow in portions of California, the National Weather Service has a wide range of advisories in effect for the state and much of the western U.S. A blizzard warning was in effect for much of the Sierra Nevada.
Buckingham pointed out that snow levels will bottom out Wednesday as the core of the cold air shifts into California. Snow levels could dip as low as 1,000 feet above sea level in some spots as the turbulent pattern continues in the Golden State.
Other notable passes throughout the Sierra Nevada, such as Carson and Tioga, can receive snow amounts ranging from 4-6 feet through Wednesday.
"Snow can be heavy across the westward-facing foothills of the Sierra up to Donner Pass and into the lower Sierra Nevada into Wednesday," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Joseph Bauer. Bauer added that snowfall rates of 2-3 inches per hour at times could lead to road closures and avalanche risk.
Caltrans Manager of Project and Infrastructure Relations Carolina Rojas told AccuWeather Tuesday that several mountain roads remain closed, including State Route 173 and State Route 330 in San Bernardino County. The county declared a local emergency Monday evening due to last week's storm.
The storm will continue to push across Southern California and the interior Southwest into Wednesday morning.
Tejon Pass was temporarily closed Tuesday morning due to a mudslide.
The Grapevine along Interstate 5 could be shut down once again at some point during the middle of the week due to additional heavy snow. The snow that falls from the new storm will pale in comparison to the multiple feet of snow that fell last Thursday to Saturday.
Snow levels may dip to near 1,500 feet in parts of Southern California Wednesday. As the sky clears and winds diminish Wednesday night, the temperature may challenge historically low levels for the date. The record in Downtown Los Angeles Thursday morning is 35 degrees, set way back in in 1896. In San Diego, the record of 39 degrees set in 1941 may also be rivaled.
On Saturday, the Grapevine through Tejon Pass was shut down after ice, and heavy snow closed the roadway in both directions until Sunday.
Drought's demise in the making?
When factoring in the amount of rain and snow that has fallen already and what is expected to fall through the balance of the wet season, there is a high probability that much of the drought will be wiped out in California by late spring. The winter storms have already rolled back the magnitude and extent of the drought.
"These storms occurring in the final days of meteorological winter will continue to beef up the seasonal snowfall totals across the western mountain ranges. To date, the entire Sierra Nevada range is at over 140% of its seasonal average, which typically runs through April 1," stated Buckingham.
The massive snowpack with locked-up water in the mountains in the region is likely to fill most reservoirs to capacity when it melts this spring and early summer. A significant amount of water may have to be released into area streams and rivers.
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