Stormy Week for California: Rain, Mountain Snow in Store
Rain in Oakland, Calif. Photo by Flickr user Greg Woodhouse Photography.
The first storm will be rather slow-moving, spreading rain into the Bay Area of California by late tonight. Rain will spread slowly inland Tuesday into Tuesday night.
"This will be a pretty good rainmaker," Ken Clark, AccuWeather.com expert senior meteorologist, said. "A general rainfall in north-central California from the Bay Area to Sacramento will be 0.50-1.00 inch."
Even more rain will fall in the western slopes of the coastal ranges and the Sierra.
While the rain is welcome in California, travel problems are likely to result. Low clouds and rain could delay flights at the San Francisco International Airport, while traffic may be slowed on the ground.
With chilly air arriving, it will be snow that falls in the higher elevations. One to two inches of snow will accumulate at resort level in the Sierra with some disruptions possible along major passes such as Donner Pass.
"Rain will reach the Los Angeles Basin late tomorrow night into Wednesday morning with about one third to two thirds of an inch falling," Clark said.
Snow will fall over the mountains of Southern California by midweek with snow levels as low as 4,500 feet. Some snow may even mix in down to pass level, but no accumulation is expected.
The cooler and unsettled weather pattern will last through late-week in the West.
Chillier Weather Awaits the Northeast This Week
AccuWeather.com Facebook fan Tony D. took this photo of snow covering flowers in Buffalo, N.Y., on March 30. While Buffalo should escape any snow this week, some higher elevations from West Virginia to New York could see a light dusting.
Lower temperatures will begin to arrive Easter Monday in the wake of a cold front and look to stick around for a few days.
Combined with an area of low pressure lingering over southeastern Canada, it will be an unsettled period with plenty of clouds and showers at times as atmospheric disturbances swing through the region.
At higher elevations from the central Appalachians to New York, a few snowflakes could even mix in.
The chilly, damp weather could end up ruining outdoor plans for those taking a few extra days off after the holiday weekend.
While temperatures will be lower across the board throughout the Northeast, the cold will not be exceptional. However, this will be the first prolonged period of below-normal temperatures for many areas dating back several weeks.
The mercury will only top out in the 40s across a pocket of interior areas from the central Appalachians to upstate New York for Tuesday and Wednesday, which is as much as 10 to 15 degrees below normal.
Even temperatures in the bigger cities and coastal locations in the mid-Atlantic will barely manage to reach into the 50s compared to 60s over the weekend.
Combined with cloud cover and a fresh breeze, it will feel even cooler yet.
If this were the heart of winter, the atmospheric disturbances would actually paint swaths of snow to the coast. This time of year, any snow from these systems will tend to be more "elevation-driven," meaning it will be mainly confined to ridges and mountains where it will be colder.
The mountains of West Virginia; the Alleghenies and Poconos in Pennsylvania, as well as the Catskills and Adirondacks of New York, stand to see a few snow showers mix in with the rain both Tuesday and Wednesday.
A light accumulation is possible over some ridge and mountaintops, but will likely only last for a matter of hours thanks to the increasingly strong April sun.
While these lingering areas of low pressure are difficult to predict, it looks as though milder temperatures will begin to edge back into the region toward the end of the week as the calendar heads deeper into April.
AccuWeather.com - Brett Anderson | Clues about April
Rain in Oakland, Calif. Photo by Flickr user Greg Woodhouse Photography.By Meghan Evans, Meteorologist
Apr 9, 2012; 3:58 PM ET
Late-season storms will impact the West this week, bringing much cooler air, rain and mountain snow to California.The first storm will be rather slow-moving, spreading rain into the Bay Area of California by late tonight. Rain will spread slowly inland Tuesday into Tuesday night.
"This will be a pretty good rainmaker," Ken Clark, AccuWeather.com expert senior meteorologist, said. "A general rainfall in north-central California from the Bay Area to Sacramento will be 0.50-1.00 inch."
Even more rain will fall in the western slopes of the coastal ranges and the Sierra.
While the rain is welcome in California, travel problems are likely to result. Low clouds and rain could delay flights at the San Francisco International Airport, while traffic may be slowed on the ground.
"Rain will reach the Los Angeles Basin late tomorrow night into Wednesday morning with about one third to two thirds of an inch falling," Clark said.
Snow will fall over the mountains of Southern California by midweek with snow levels as low as 4,500 feet. Some snow may even mix in down to pass level, but no accumulation is expected.
The cooler and unsettled weather pattern will last through late-week in the West.
Chillier Weather Awaits the Northeast This Week
AccuWeather.com Facebook fan Tony D. took this photo of snow covering flowers in Buffalo, N.Y., on March 30. While Buffalo should escape any snow this week, some higher elevations from West Virginia to New York could see a light dusting.By Bill Deger, Meteorologist
Apr 8, 2012; 2:56 PM ET
After a spectacular Easter weekend weather-wise across the Northeast, Mother Nature may turn the calendar back a month with the new workweek.Lower temperatures will begin to arrive Easter Monday in the wake of a cold front and look to stick around for a few days.
Combined with an area of low pressure lingering over southeastern Canada, it will be an unsettled period with plenty of clouds and showers at times as atmospheric disturbances swing through the region.
At higher elevations from the central Appalachians to New York, a few snowflakes could even mix in.
The chilly, damp weather could end up ruining outdoor plans for those taking a few extra days off after the holiday weekend.
While temperatures will be lower across the board throughout the Northeast, the cold will not be exceptional. However, this will be the first prolonged period of below-normal temperatures for many areas dating back several weeks.
The mercury will only top out in the 40s across a pocket of interior areas from the central Appalachians to upstate New York for Tuesday and Wednesday, which is as much as 10 to 15 degrees below normal.
Combined with cloud cover and a fresh breeze, it will feel even cooler yet.
If this were the heart of winter, the atmospheric disturbances would actually paint swaths of snow to the coast. This time of year, any snow from these systems will tend to be more "elevation-driven," meaning it will be mainly confined to ridges and mountains where it will be colder.
The mountains of West Virginia; the Alleghenies and Poconos in Pennsylvania, as well as the Catskills and Adirondacks of New York, stand to see a few snow showers mix in with the rain both Tuesday and Wednesday.
A light accumulation is possible over some ridge and mountaintops, but will likely only last for a matter of hours thanks to the increasingly strong April sun.
While these lingering areas of low pressure are difficult to predict, it looks as though milder temperatures will begin to edge back into the region toward the end of the week as the calendar heads deeper into April.
AccuWeather.com - Brett Anderson | Clues about April
Mar 23, 2012; 9:49 AM ET
Here is my latest interpretation of the ECMWF long range model weekly forecast output.
The
model no longer predicts widespread, extreme warmth, but still keeps
large parts of the U.S. and southern Canada warmer than normal through
April, while the core of the cold remains across the far north.
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