California is getting soaked by a second Pacific storm with more locally heavy rain just days after anatmospheric rivertriggered flash flooding, rockslides and some debris flows in the Los Angeles Basin and elsewhere.
Parts of Southern California picked up 6 to 11 inches of rain from the atmospheric river storm late last week into last weekend. We have a recap of that storm at the bottom of this article.
While this second Pacific storm does not have the atmospheric river the first storm had, it is wringing out more rain in the state right now, as the current radar image below shows. That's lead to a few reports of flooding and rockslides in far northern California Sunday night into early Monday.
Forecast Timing
-Monday: The band of soaking rain will move through California, lingering in Southern California Monday night. Scattered showers and thundershowers are possible in parts of Northern California even after the main band of rain clears. Snow will fall in the Sierra, and in the highest elevations of Southern California. Showers with locally heavy rain will move into southern Nevada and Arizona Monday night.
-Tuesday: Some Southern California showers and southern Sierra snow showers may linger. The highest threat of showers and a few thundershowers is in the Desert Southwest from Arizona to southern Utah and southern Nevada.
Impacts
As the map below shows, we expect parts of California, Nevada and Arizona to pick up at least another inch of rainfall through Monday night or Tuesday.
The heaviest additional rain in California is expected to be in the foothills of the southern Sierra and in parts of Southern California from Santa Barbara to L.A. Counties, where an additional 1 to 3 inches of rain is expected.
Local flash flooding of roads, rockslides and minor debris flows in areas recently burned by wildfires are possible.
If you live near a burn area or an area susceptible to landslides, be ready to evacuate immediately if an order is issued by local officials.
There could also be local flash flooding of normally dry washes and arroyos in the desert, including the Las Vegas and Phoenix metro areas. Never attempt to drive through floodwater. Turn around and find an alternate route.
Expect snow-covered roads in the Sierra, especially the southern Sierra, where up to another foot of snow is expected through Tuesday.
Recap
Atmospheric rivers can be beneficial, with much-needed lower elevation rainfall to suppress wildfire risk and mountain snow to build up snowpack to recharge reservoirs in the spring and summer.
But they can also be hazardous, with heavy rain triggering flooding, rockslides and debris flows off areas recently burned by wildfires.
(MORE:What Is An Atmospheric River?)
The first round of rainfall from the atmospheric river-enhanced storm began last Wednesday night into early Thursday across Northern California.
Power outages began to climb into the thousands as widespread gusts of 40-60 mph were reported with higher elevations seeing gusts over 80 mph. Trees and power lines were downed in some areas, including in far northwest California, where multiple downed trees required a closure of the Pacific Coast Highway north of Point Arena.
Since Thursday, the Santa Barbara Airport has picked up 7.27 inches of rain, making it their wettest November on record dating to 1941. It was also their wettest four-day stretch in over 20 years, since early January 2005.
In Ventura County Saturday, 3.18 inches fell in Oxnard, their third wettest November day in 102 years of records, there.
Since last Wednesday night, there have been over 130 reports of flash flooding and 44 reports of landslides or debris flows in California, according to the National Weather Service.
Some of the most notable reports included:
- Vehicles were stuck in floodwaters or mud near El Capitan State Beach, near Twentynine Palms, Daggett, in Sacramento, Tehachapi and Red Rock Canyon.
- Up to 3 feet of water was reported on an offramp of Interstate 710 in Compton.
- Flooding closed several roads inDeath Valley National Park, including Badwater Road.
Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him onBluesky,X (formerly Twitter)andFacebook.
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