California Wet Season Wrapping Up With a Whopper of a Storm

Christy Bowen

2 hours ago

The rainy season is almost over in California. However, one last major event is currently menacing the state with pockets of heavy rain, thunderstorms, gusty winds, and mountain snow. Here is the latest forecast on this late-season storm, including where it is headed next.

Late-Season Storm Directing Likely Last Surge of Rain to California

NOAA's national forecast map shows the Pacific storm system pushing mixed precipitation and heavy snow across the West, while critical fire weather conditions loom over the southern Rockies through Thursday. Courtesy: NOAA/NWS/WPC

A slow-moving storm system is dumping soaking rain across Northern and Central California this week. Colder temperatures in the higher terrains are paving the way for measurable snow in the mountains. Potential impacts of this volatile weather maker include high winds, flash flooding, and hail.

While there is no guarantee that this will be the last significant storm of the wet season, the odds are good when looking at historical data and the long-range forecast. The rainy season officially runs from October 1 through April 30 in California. Little to no rainfall is the story for the Golden State from May 1 through September 30. For instance, San Francisco averages just 0.18 of an inch of rain during the dry season.

This week's storm is expected to produce a general 0.50 - 1.50 inches of rain over the bulk of Northern and Central California. The action that got started early in the work week is forecast to push out of the state by Thursday.

The hardest-hit zones could see up to 4 inches of rain by the time the system exits the state. This includes the west-facing slopes of the Coast Ranges, as well as the lower west-and southwest-facing slopes of the Siskiyous and some areas of the northern and central Sierra Nevada.