The Southwest Gears Up For A Winter Soaker | WeatherBug
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The Southwest Gears Up For A Winter Soaker

February 21, 2020
By WeatherBug's Brandon Bush
Although much of February has been dry across the Southwest, this late-winter spell is poised to change in a hurry as a new round of storms will provide a rare soaking this weekend.

Ending ten solid days without a sign of rain, the Southwest’s short dry spell will come to a close Saturday morning as a disturbance creeps up off the coast of Mexico and southern California. This system will first bring showers and moderate rain to the southern Sierra Nevada, as well as the Los Angeles Basin and Inland Empire of California before jetting inland toward Phoenix and Las Vegas.

By Saturday afternoon and evening, the rainy weather will expand to cover the southern tip of Nevada as well as southern Utah. The storm will continue to push inland until it reaches the Southern Rockies Sunday. Across higher elevations of the Southwest and Rockies, the precipitation will fall as snow.

The storm will bring 1 to 2 inches of rain to the Southwest and southern Rockies this weekend, with several inches of fresh powder for the mountains of Nevada, Utah and Colorado. This rain may enough to turn some typically dry washes into raging gullies so use caution if you're out and about.

Already, Flash Flood Watches have been issued across parts of central Arizona, including Phoenix.  If you approach a road covered in water, remember to “Turn Around, Don’t Drown.”

Winter Weather Advisories are also in effect for the highest elevations of the mountains in southern Nevada, where up to a foot of snow is possible. Winter Weather Advisories are also in effect for the mountain ranges of southern California above 6000 feet where up to 6 inches of snow is possible.

By early next week, the storm will advance into the central Plains, bringing another round of heavy rain to the Mid-Mississippi Valley and some snow to the northern Plains.