Weather forecasters warn a flurry of storms will make their way through the western United States over the next five days with another strong storm on Monday and Tuesday. And the pattern could last until mid-January.
“When all is said and done, we are looking at a few inches more rain through the middle of next week with a moderate to high confidence level of more rain through the middle of the month.” according to forecasters at the National Weather Service’s San Francisco Bay Area office.
Meteorologists at the National Weather Service said: “Additional heavy rains with more runoff problems are likely to last through early next week with a dangerous wet pattern with multiple streams. river in the atmosphere”.
Here’s a day-to-day breakdown of what to expect and where.
Thursday
An atmospheric river continued to blow moisture over California on Thursday, but is forecast to weaken as the day goes on.
“Coastal areas of California and the Sacramento Valley are most at risk,” forecast center forecasters said early Thursday morning.
These forecasters warn that rain rates of more than one inch per hour can create rapid water surges in rivers and streams and create mud or rock slides.
Individual rains are expected to be spotty, but anywhere heavy rain falls that can lead to flooding because the ground can become oversaturated — like a sponge that is soaked with water and cannot absorb more water.
These saturated soils, combined with 50 mph gusts predicted Thursday, could make trees more susceptible to toppling.
In the mountains above 5,000 feet in Northern and Central California, snow will continue to fall at a rate of more than 3 inches per hour, creating hazardous travel conditions.
Everything will be over by Thursday night, when most of the heavy rains are over. But the pardon will be brief.
Friday
Much of California is expected to stop raining on Friday as moisture flows into southwestern Oregon and Northern California on Friday.
“The highest rainfall in the Northern California coastal mountains could exceed four inches during this period through very late Friday night,” forecasters at the prediction center said.
Saturday
Widespread rainfall and heavy snowfall are expected to return Saturday to most of California. Southern California could get away with another day without rain.
Humidity will slowly drift down to California during the day with heavier rainfall mainly in Central and Northern California.
The first shower is expected in the morning, with more rain inland heading towards Sacramento and the Sacramento Valley. By evening, another downpour of rain is expected further south across the Bay Area.
Sunday
Things started to get worse again across most states; even Southern California will most likely regain moisture.
“The storm doors will remain open this weekend through the end of next week,” forecasters at Los Angeles Weather Service Office speak.
The areas of greatest concern for excessive rainfall are still limited to Northern California. But that changes on Monday.
Second
Monday is likely to see another strong atmospheric river develop, which will again bring moderate to heavy rain over wide areas, strong southerly winds and heavy snowfall in higher regions.
First, the stream of moisture will move over the Bay Area during the day.
It’s a little early to know exactly how much rain will fall with this powerful storm system on Monday, but the forecast center’s forecasters said in their expanded outlook, “look for many inches over an area.” large areas in Northern and Central California.”
“The cumulative effects of repeated moderate to heavy rains from previous storms could lead to a greater likelihood of widespread flooding with the increasingly severe impact of this storm,” the report said. report said. Sacramento Weather Bureau said Thursday.
Through Monday night through Tuesday, a heavier stream of moisture is likely to move south over the Los Angeles area.
“It’s still early and the forecast is subject to change,” warned Los Angeles-based forecasters.
apart from monday
There is no great news in the forecast. It looks like the storms will calm down for a short while, but forecasters believe another medium-to-strong atmospheric river could target the West Coast next Thursday.
