Published: March 24,2017
Two more rounds of rain and mountain snow are on the way to California through this weekend due to a pattern change that began at the start of this week. This has ended a more than two-week respite from one of the wettest winters on record in the Golden State.
(MORE: 5 Reasons March Weather Is Frustrating)
An upper-level ridge of high pressure that was responsible for the mainly dry and warm conditions in the West has broken down.
In its place, multiple southward dips in the jet stream, or troughs, are now steering the storm track back toward California through this weekend.
Current Satellite, Atmospheric Moisture
Two More Rounds
The first Pacific cold front and its associated jet stream dip pivoted into the West Coast Monday through Wednesday.Roadway flooding was reported in the Sacramento area on Tuesday, and funnel clouds were spotted near Turlock. A severe thunderstorm caused wind damage in Twain Harte, which is located southeast of Sacramento in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
Current Radar, Temperatures, Conditions
Another Pacific front will came ashore Friday, and continues eastward into the Great Basin and Rockies. That storm will be accompanied by another burst of moderate to locally heavy rainfall, mountain snow and gusty winds.
This area of low pressure will go on to become another wave of severe weather Sunday and Monday in the Plains and South
Behind that system, another cold front will sweep into the Northwest Sunday and its moisture will also extend southward into the northern half of California.
The Second System Late This Week
How Much Rain, Mountain Snow?
The good news is that none of these storms appear to be as strong or slow-moving as some of the atmospheric river events that occurred in January and February.Rainfall Outlook
The additional storms will bring the heaviest rain to the coastal ranges of northern California, southern Oregon and the Sierra foothills below snow level, where 1 to 2 inches of additional rainfall is likely.Other low elevations of northern California could total an inch of rain through this weekend, including the Bay Area and Sacramento.
(FORECAST: Los Angeles | San Diego)
Some mudslides, rockslides and debris flows are possible in spots with each round, given the already saturated ground from this winter.
Rain and Snow Outlook Through Sunday
Snowfall Outlook
The combination of all these systems will bring 6-18 inches of snow to the Sierra through early next week. Snow and gusty winds are likely to affect travel through Sierra passes into Saturday morning, as up to one foot of snow is expected.(MORE: Where March and April Are the Snowiest Months)
Over a foot of snow is also possible in the Cascades, Siskiyous and parts of the Rockies.
This is the first decent snow event in South Lake Tahoe, California, since March 5.
Adding to an Impressive Spring Snowpack
By late-March standards, the water content estimated in the Western snowpack is the highest in several decades.According to the National Resources Conservation Service SNOTEL network, Leavitt Lake, at an elevation of 9,604 feet in the central Sierra south of Lake Tahoe, was estimated to have a snowpack of just under 20 feet: 234 inches.
The estimated water equivalent of that snowpack – just over 100 inches – was easily the highest snow-water content for any March 19 on record in their database dating to 1989.
Water content in the Wasatch and northern Rockies also was generally at least 33 percent above average for this time of year.
Estimated snow-water content percent of average for March 20, 2017, in western U.S. river basins.Numerous U.S. Geological Service streamflow gauges are running in the highest 90 percentile for late March.
For example, flow along the Snake River in Twin Falls, Idaho, on March 20, was over double the previous daily record set in 1928, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
(MORE: Increased Spring Flood Risk in Parts of West)
Meanwhile, many California reservoirs continue to run above average for late March.
San Luis Reservoir, just southeast of the Bay Area, was at 99 percent capacity as of March 20.
Gates at the damaged Oroville spillway in northern California were opened again last Friday to make room for this week's rain.
Lake Oroville was 19 percent below capacity as of March 20, but still 10 percent above average for this time of year.
The last six months ending March 19 was the wettest such period on record in at least four cities in the West, according to the Southeast Regional Climate Center.
| 2016-17 Precipitation | Previous Record | Average | |
| Pocatello, Idaho | 14.23 inches | 11.90 inches (1983-1984) | 6.17 inches |
| Reno, Nevada | 13.12 inches | 11.00 inches (1913-1914) | 5.12 inches |
| Sacramento, California | 27.81 inches | 27.58 inches (1982-1983) | 15.45 inches |
| Spokane, Washington | 18.11 inches | 16.77 inches (1973-1974) | 9.97 inches |
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