Forecasters warned Tuesday that much of California may be hit with another “atmospheric river” storm system that will produce heavy rain in some areas that were hit hard by flooding over the past winter.
“A persistent series of lows off the northwest Pacific coast and upper-level energy rotating around the trough in place will help to encourage nearly continuous lower elevation valley/coastal rain and higher elevation mountain snow chances for the Pacific Northwest and northern California,”
said the National Weather Service (NWS) in a Tuesday update. “Heavy snow is forecast for the northern coastal ranges and Sierra in California Tuesday where higher elevations may see totals well over a foot.”
Meanwhile, AccuWeather
warned that the storm system will impact California on Friday and Saturday, creating a high risk of flooding—including in spots that have already received heavy snowfall. The website described the latest system as part of an “atmospheric river,” noting that multiple atmospheric rivers hit California between December and February, bringing heavy rain and snow.
“People and businesses are already cleaning up from previous storms, meaning that the latest storm has the potential to become a disaster upon previous disasters, further compounding any impacts,” AccuWeather’s Jonathan Porter said. “Additional storms are expected into next week–which also may tap into a 2,000-plus-mile feed of deep subtropical Pacific moisture yielding heavy rain at lower elevations and heavy snow in the mountains.”
Winter storm warnings have been issued for areas around the northern Sierra Nevada mountains as well as much of northwestern California and a small area in southwestern Oregon, according to an NWS map. Winter storm watches have been issued for much of Northern California and a small section of southern Oregon.
“At Mammoth Mountain, California, 555 inches of snow have been recorded this season as of March 6,” another forecaster, Andrew Johnson-Levine, said. “With the upcoming atmospheric river and the likelihood of more storms to follow, the all-time record of 669 inches for the mountain, set in 2010-11, could be in jeopardy by the season’s end.”
Residents in San Bernardino’s mountains are still shoveling snow after significant snowfall in recent weeks. Over the weekend, residents called for more assistance as the California National Guard was
deployed.
“We are at day 11 since the storm first made its appearance here in San Bernardino County,” Eric Sherwin with San Bernardino County Fire told Fox Weather on Monday.
“Over the past week and a half, we have performed over 100 rescues of residents within these mountain communities,” he added. “During the first parts of the storm, the roads received so much snow that fire trucks, ambulances and patrol cars could not make access into these communities.”
Snow Targets Plains, Upper Midwest
Several consecutive days of snow are possible until Friday in the Plains and Upper Midwest states due to an area of low pressure that is moving eastward, according to the NWS.“Confidence is increasing that a large storm system will affect the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest, with impactful snow and wind later this week. See our key message graphic for additional details,”
said the National Weather Service (NWS) on Monday evening.
North and South Dakota, including Bismarck and Fargo, could see between 5 and 8 inches of snow by this weekend,
say forecasters. Parts of Iowa, eastern Wisconsin, and areas in Minnesota will also likely see snowfall.
Winter storm warnings have been issued for north-central South Dakota, while watches were issued for Minneapolis-St. Paul and northern Iowa, according to a map
posted by the NWS.
Currently, the NWS has issued winter weather advisories stretching from eastern Montana to parts of South and North Dakota, including Fargo. Northwestern Minnesota also is under the advisor.
At the same time, starting Tuesday, the NWS
warned a “multi-day heavy rain and flash flood threat is expected to develop over portions of the Southern Plains” and expand eastward in the Tennessee and Mississippi river valleys on Wednesday.
