A long-duration storm has the potential to unload a month’s worth of rain in a few days and deliver blockbuster snow to the mountains of the West Coast from this weekend to next week, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. Heavy rain and snow will be beneficial for drought relief, but it could lead to major problems for travel and pose risks to lives and property.
Rain totals could climb as high as several inches in central and northern parts of California as the slow-moving storm may deposit yards of snow in the Sierra Nevada.
“As the storm slides from north to south along the West Coast, a firehose effect of moisture, known as an atmospheric river, may lead to rainfall rates close to 1-2 inches per hour for a time and snowfall rates of 2-4 inches per hour over the mountains,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys said.
