Unsettled Weather Winding Down Across the West

Days of unrelenting heavy rain and mountain snow across the West will begin to ease today.

A series of storm systems produced plenty of heavy rain and mountain snow across the Western U.S. this past week. California has been hit exceptionally hard where 2 to 5 inches of rain has fallen in some areas, while more than 1 to 3 feet of snow has blanketed the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

One final surge of moisture will move onshore across the Western U.S. today, bringing rounds of moderate to briefly heavy rain and mountain snow into tonight. This moisture will then shift into the Rockies for Saturday as the West Coast will finally start to dry out. 

Still, numerous Flood Watches remain in effect across much of California for today. This includes in and around Los Angeles Basin and the San Francisco Bay area. 

Moderate to heavy snow will continue to fall over the Sierra Nevada Mountains into the Oregon and Washington Cascades. An additional one to 3 feet of snow is likely above 5,500 feet. A few inches of snow will also be likely later today into Saturday across many of the passes in the Cascades.

Winter Storm Warnings remain in effect throughout the Sierra Nevada and the Siskiyou Mountains in California, while Winter Weather Advisories are found across the Klamath Mountains into the Cascade Mountains of Washington and Oregon. Winter Weather Advisories are also peppered across the Intermountain West and Rockies, including eastern Washington, Idaho, western Montana, western Wyoming, and Utah. 

Gusty winds will remain possible throughout much of the Western U.S. today into Saturday, with peak wind gusts of 35 to 50 mph remaining possible, especially over the ridgetops. A few High Wind Advisories remain in effect across northern California, as well as over eastern Nevada and western Utah.

Be sure to download the WeatherBug app to stay up to date on the latest on this changing weather. It’s never too early to have a supply kit packed in case of inclement weather. A simple kit including a weather radio, water, blankets, batteries, and non-perishable food items will go a long way in the event of a power outage.