How long will cool, unsettled weather last in western US?

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist

The western United States can expect additional rounds of rain and mountain snow as conditions remain unseasonably chilly into next week.

Residents itching for more sunshine and warmer, springtime weather will be disappointed that such conditions will be on hold into at least the middle of the month.

The week will end on a snowy note across the northern and central Rockies and Utah's Wasatch Range. People heading to area ski resorts will need to be wary of slippery travel as well as a high risk of avalanches. 

The storm responsible for Friday's snowfall will evolve into a blizzard over the northern Plains and spark severe weather in the South as it moves eastward this weekend.

A new storm will then bring some rain and mountain snow to the northern half of California late Saturday through Sunday, said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jack Boston.

This storm will not bring a repeat of the torrential rainfall that triggered flooding across California during the middle of the week. 

Still, disruptions to travel and flood cleanup can occur as pockets of light rain spread from north to south across the state over the weekend.

Los Angeles and San Diego may only be dampened by a brief, spotty shower later Sunday.

This storm will bring only a few inches of fresh snowfall to the Sierra Nevada, unlike previous storms that unloaded snow in feet.

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Temperatures will stay unseasonably low in the unsettled weather, generally 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit below normal levels.

Download the free AccuWeather app to know exactly when rain can dampen your weekend plans and how many layers to put on before heading outside.

The storm will stay south of the Seattle and Portland, Oregon, metro areas, leaving these cities dry but chilly for the weekend.

The weekend storm is expected to strengthen and gain more moisture as it moves into the Four Corners region and southern Plains early next week.

The return of rain will help to put out the heightened fire risk that has plagued the southern Plains in recent days.

However, AccuWeather meteorologists are closely monitoring the potential for this storm to spur a severe weather event across Texas, Oklahoma and perhaps into Kansas.

Meanwhile, yet another storm will roll through the West prior to the middle of next week, bringing additional rain and snow showers. The Pacific Northwest is likely to be dampened with this round.

"Temperatures will remain lower than normal in much of the West next week, but it will not be as cold as this week," Boston said.

Boston expects a quieter and milder pattern to overtake the West during the second half of March.

Coastal parts of the Pacific states can still get a few storms, but the interior West looks much drier beyond the middle of the month, according to Boston.