California to face drenching rains, mountain snow this week as pair of storm set to slam the state
It’s been a dry first half of December for much of California, but the second half will switch gears with a week of showers and thunderstorms in the forecast, threatening areas of flooding and travel challenges as a one-two punch of storm systems settles in offshore.
Rainfall increases Monday, spreading south into the Los Angeles area and east into the Sierra Nevada for the first rain and snow. Los Angeles hasn't had measurable rain since mid-November, while snow totals could reach 6-12 inches in the higher Sierra.
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The first storm system will approach the coast on Sunday. (FOX Weather)
In addition, some of the showers will likely intensify into thunderstorms, especially around the Bay Area and central California, bringing small hail and heavy downpours, triggering localized areas of flash flooding.
(FOX Weather)
Showery weather continues on Tuesday while the storm system drifts north and pulls the bulk of its rain into the Pacific Northwest, only to have a second storm system develop off California in its place, renewing the rainy forecast toward the later part of the week.
Early projections have this storm system concentrating its rain on the southern half of the state. (FOX Weather)
Early projections have this storm system concentrating its rain on the southern half of the state, with a rainier forecast for Los Angeles and Southern California from Thursday into Friday, eventually spreading into the Desert Southwest over Christmas weekend.
"It’s this second storm that dives in behind that low pressure system by midweek on Wednesday that finally does move in — take that more southerly track down the coastline and keeps that rain in the forecast and unsettled weather into the end of the week," Minar said.
Forecasted total rainfall for California from Sunday through Friday. (FOX Weather)
By the time the one-two punch of storms has exited the region, overall rainfall totals are expected to reach at least 2-3 inches with several coastal areas receiving as much as 5 inches.
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