An atmospheric river will bring heavy rainfall to Northern California, which could lead to snowmelt, flooding and landslides this weekend. This can potentially affect travel and cause road closures.
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00:00living in California and forecasting California. I think there's not one weather phenomenon that
00:07really strikes fear into anybody like an atmospheric river and that's what we're
00:12going to be looking at here this weekend. This weekend and even well into next week as well
00:19we're looking at a series of storms coming along pulling an atmospheric river that originates all
00:25the way back to north of Hawaii and this is going to bring in episodes of rain some of it heavy at
00:30times probably in two main batches one today into tomorrow another batch early next week and we're
00:37talking about a lot of rain before it's said and done by the end of the day Wednesday next week
00:43we're talking a foot to maybe as much as 15 inches in the west facing foothills of the
00:49Sierra and northern California that's a lot of rain. Yeah let's take a look at that Ken I mean
00:54this has been inundating Hawaii that we've had flooding in Honolulu it's a little upper low
00:59north of the islands but you know people often ask what's an atmospheric river it's a river of
01:04moisture in the atmosphere that goes from point a to point b and I think this satellite pretty
01:09much demonstrates that we have an atmospheric river coming to California. Oh that's that's right
01:14that low out there north of Hawaii is not going to move very much over the next several days
01:18but that atmospheric river you see headed northeastward that's going to continue to
01:22send that fire hose of moisture right toward northern California all weekend long and then
01:27a storm dropping down for the north and really activates it even more as we get in early next
01:32week. Yeah and Ken let's talk about snow levels initially in the Sierra they're going to be very
01:38high but then start to drop once that upper low in the Gulf of Alaska comes southward this weekend
01:44and then in the northern California early next week. Snow levels are going to be rising probably
01:51about 6,500 feet maybe a little higher than that as we go through the next 24 to 36 hours stay high
01:57into early Monday and then really drop maybe down to even a place like Redding could get a little
02:02snow before it's all said and done with. So I'm looking right now that the ski areas in northern
02:09California are probably going to end up with five to eight feet of snow at least before it's all
02:14said and done with by sometime on Wednesday of next week that's a lot of snow. And Ken that is
02:21an area you know what the northern Sierra has been well I think they're above the historical average
02:26for snow it's the central and certainly the southern Sierra that's running behind.
02:30And they will get significant snow in those places as well the most significant will be
02:36probably Tahoe on northward but even in places southern California Sierras and the central
02:43Sierras we're probably looking at a couple few feet of snow which is very very much needed. Now
02:49let's talk about southern California there's going to be a window of opportunity there by the middle
02:54part of next week. That's right and you you said it exactly right Tuesday Wednesday is the time
03:00period that we're looking for the rain to get into southern California not before then in fact the
03:04weather's going to get nicer in southern California with warmer weather in the next few days but
03:09southern California looking for rain sometimes starting on Tuesday continuing into Wednesday
03:13a month a little uncertain but I'm looking at a moderate rainfall right now maybe on the maybe
03:20like it was earlier with the last storm we had and that's why I'm concerned about there is the
03:24chance for renewed mudslides and debris flows by late Tuesday Wednesday next week. All right
03:31California expert Ken Clark. Ken thanks for joining us here on AccuWeather Early. We always appreciate
03:38your insight. You're welcome Bernie.