Published: January 14, 2023
California will continue to be plagued by more Pacific storms into next week that could produce additional flooding, strong winds and feet of Sierra snow.
The stormy pattern that's gripped the state since late December has produced over a foot of rain in parts of Northern and Southern California. Major flooding, debris flows and damaging winds have been widespread impacts.
(MORE: Flooding, Damaging Winds Hit California)
Below is a look at what's to come.
Forecast
Through This Weekend
Another cold front is moving south through California with rain and Sierra Nevada snow after much of the state saw a break on Thursday.
Current Satellite, RadarFlooding and some debris flows are possible since the ground is already saturated. Flood watches have been issued by the National Weather Service across California.
Gusty winds are also likely in Northern and Central California, which could down some trees and knock out power in spots because of the wet soil conditions.
Travel through the Sierra Nevada will likely be snarled because of heavy snowfall, especially Saturday and Saturday night.
Next Week
The wet pattern is likely to persist into at least early next week as another storm arrives late Sunday into Monday.
Widespread soaking rain, strong winds and heavy Sierra snow could accompany that storm.
There are indications in longer-range forecast models this two-week-plus stormy siege may finally come to an end sometime late next week or the following weekend. That said, Northern California could still get clipped by some weaker systems.
Stormy Recap
Parts of California have now seen more rain from this siege of storms that began around Christmas than in entire recent years. It's been the wettest 15-day stretch since 1866 in San Francisco.
(MORE: Perspective On The Siege Of Storms)
The most recent, powerful storm arrived Monday into Tuesday and caused flooding to become widespread.
Among the areas hardest hit were parts of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz counties.
Santa Barbara had its wettest January day on record Monday (4.22 inches), and fourth wettest all-time since 1941.
Record river crests were set on the Ventura River at Foster Park and the Salinas River at Paso Robles, topping previous records set in each location on Jan. 25, 1969. Bear Creek on the northeast side of Merced, California, also topped its previous record crest from April 2006, with flooding reported in parts of the city.
Some mountain locations in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties picked up 13 to 19 inches of rain in about 48 hours ending Tuesday afternoon, according to a summary from NOAA.
In an early Tuesday morning forecast discussion, the National Weather Service in Oxnard wrote, "This has been the most impressive storm since Jan. 5-7, 2005".
Severe thunderstorm warnings were issued Tuesday morning for the Sacramento metro due to strong thunderstorm winds and the threat of additional downed trees in ground soaked by heavy rain.
Wind gusts up to 69 mph were recorded in San Francisco around 2 a.m. PT, where a roof was blown off an apartment building.
The NWS confirmed a brief EF1 tornado damaged numerous trees northeast of Milton in Calaveras County, Tuesday. Straight-line winds estimated at 75 mph lifted a large horse barn over a fence east of Oakdale in Stanislaus County, according to the NWS.
Sierra snow has been no less prolific and impressive.
Mammoth Mountain has picked up 190 inches of snow since Dec. 26, almost 16 feet.
This storm parade pushed Sierra snowpack to record levels for mid-January.
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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