Northern California will receive its first significant rain and snow of the season this week from an expansive storm that will also affect Southern California, the Southwest and the Rockies.
A cold-core low-pressure system will move into California and Oregon, producing rain and mountain snow by Tuesday. This storm system will then create travel delays through Thanksgiving Day as it slowly pushes toward the interior West.
For some, this system is good news. Most of California is experiencing abnormally dry conditions, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor. These dry conditions have developed since the end of October due to the lack of rainfall.
Little precipitation has fallen in Northern California so far this wet season, which typically begins in November and lasts through April.
Places like Sacramento and Fresno have yet to pick up measurable rain this month. In fact, Sacramento is nearly 1.5 inches behind on rainfall so far this month, while Redding is nearing a deficit of 3 inches. San Francisco merely picked up a few sprinkles on Nov. 14.
The drought remains severe across much of the Four Corners region, but this upcoming rain and snow may also put a dent into the dry conditions there.
Tuesday
The area of low pressure will push inland near the border between Oregon and California on Tuesday.
Rain will spread southward to the San Francisco Bay Area and the rest of Northern California on Tuesday. Snowfall will pick up in the Sierra Nevada and Cascades, as well as the higher terrain of Northern California, particularly above 2,500 feet in elevation.
Rain will continue to push southward and possibly reach Los Angeles by Tuesday night.
Strong winds gusting to 60 mph will also blast the coasts of southwestern Oregon and northwestern California.
Wednesday-Thursday
The slow-moving storm will affect areas from California to the interior West, bringing rain and snow Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day.
Snow will fall in the upper foothills of the Sierra Nevada and down to valley floors of the interior West. Interstate 80 will be impacted by snowfall from the Sierra Nevada to Utah, including Salt Lake City.
Winter storm watches and warnings and winter weather advisories have been issued from the Sierra Nevada and the Southern California mountains into southern Oregon, parts of Nevada, northwestern Arizona and Utah due to the expectation of heavy snow.
Rain is expected in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Phoenix, while snow is likely in Lake Tahoe and Salt Lake City. Snow levels may dip to as low as 2,000 feet in the Sierra and hills near Los Angeles.
Thunderstorms, and possibly more hail, could be embedded with this system.
Winds could be gusty in Southern California and the higher terrain of Nevada and Arizona.
How Much Rain and Snow?
Rainfall totals will not be excessive in most areas of California. Therefore, major debris flows are unlikely unless a thunderstorm with higher rainfall rates moves over a burn area.
More than a foot of snow is expected in the Sierra Nevada and the Transverse Ranges of Southern California, along with the highest elevations of Utah and Arizona. Several feet of snow will pile up in the highest elevations of the Sierra Nevada.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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