West Weekend Major Rain, Snow Potential

Mar 13, 2012; 3:15 PM ET

Lake Tahoe and other mountain resorts in the West will be clobbered by heavy snow over the next five to seven days. (Photos.com image)

Mother nature could save the worst (or best) for last in terms of stormy weather in California and the Southwest starting this weekend.
As the East experiences May-like weather conditions, the areas in the West that have had very little winter could soon make up some lost ground.
A series of storms and a major league dip in the jet stream will send abundant moisture across part of the West through the balance of the week.
The pattern has the potential to drop heavy snow on some of the mountain ranges in the region, lowering snow levels and bringing generous rainfall in lowland areas, all much needed after a stingy winter in terms of precipitation.
Through the balance of the week, rain and mountain snow will focus from northern California northward to the Pacific Northwest.

During this time, portions of the Sierra Nevada, Cascades and northern Rockies will pick up from 1-3 feet of snow.

This map shows forecast snowfall from 6:00 p.m. PDT Tuesday to 6:00 p.m. PDT Wednesday only. A larger version of this map is available on AccuWeather.com's Winter Weather Center. Additional snow will fall beyond Wednesday into the weekend and will spread farther south and east.
However, over the weekend, a big southward swing in the jet stream is forecast over the West.
If this happens, plentiful showers could reach into the deserts and deep valleys, while snow could bury the high country of Southern California and the Southwest. At the same time, additional lowland rain and mountain snow will fall farther to the north.

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There is also the potential for a much nastier side of the pattern including flash flooding, mudslides, very low snow levels, blowing dust and severe thunderstorms. The details of which will unfold later this week.

The pattern this weekend could bring drenching rain and strong thunderstorms to southern California and the Deserts.(Photos.com image)
Areas impacted first this weekend would be southern California and Nevada. Next would be the the Four Corners states, followed later (next week) by Texas and the Plains, where the potential of severe weather could take center stage.
The eastward progression of the system later this weekend into early next week may be very slow. The slow-moving pattern could unleash very heavy amounts of precipitation and/or multiple rounds of thunderstorms as a result.
If the slowly evolving pattern developing only achieves part of its full potential, substantial travel delays are likely at area airports and difficulties on I-5, I-10, I-15, I-17 and I-40. The difficulties may not be limited to
the passes.

West Weekend Major Rain, Snow Potential