Another burst of rain, mountain snow to sideswipe California before end of the year

By Brandon Buckingham, AccuWeather Meteorologist

Updated Dec. 29, 2019 1:56 PM

After a powerful storm system brought heavy rain and snow to California around the Christmas holiday, another storm system is lining up to take a similar track.

The previous storm closed Interstate 5 at the Grapevine after heavy snow led to vehicles becoming stuck and similar threats may arise with the next approaching system.

After relatively quiet conditions statewide through the first half of the weekend, the first bouts of wet weather moved into northwestern California by midday on Sunday.

Places like Crescent City and Eureka, California, can expect a grey and rainy day as a result into Sunday evening.

This storm system will also bring down colder air in the upper levels of the atmosphere later this weekend, dropping snow levels to around 3,500 feet in Northern California. Mount Shasta, as well as the northern Sierra Nevada can expect accumulating snow through Sunday night.

This storm system will move through Northern California rather quickly, so no major snowfall accumulations are expected. However, travel conditions will be adversely affected across portions of California's higher terrain.

Those traveling across the mountains on Interstate 80 or US-50 Sunday evening through Monday morning may want to consider leaving early in the day on Sunday or wait until later in the day on Monday to avoid potentially hazardous conditions.

The storm system will continue to track southward through California into Monday morning, bringing the return of wet weather in Southern California.

The Monday morning commute may see delays courtesy of the wet weather across Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. Many locales could receive between 0.25-0.50 of an inch of rain as this storm system moves through on Monday.

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Cold air filtering in with the storm system could drop snow levels below 3,000 feet once again early next week across the Southern California Mountains, which could spell trouble for some of passes.

"Like in last week’s storm, delays or road closures on I-5 at Tejon Pass due to snowfall will be possible once again," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said.

But the storm system will continue its southward track into Tuesday, bringing an end to most of the wet weather prior to New Years' Eve festivities across most of Southern California.

Revelers heading out for New Year's celebrations will still want to bring along a jacket as below-average temperatures are expected.

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