■Three storms are taking aim on California, with the first arriving Wednesday afternoon.

■Storms No. 1 and 2 are coming out of the Pacific Northwest and aiming more at Northern California.

■The third storm, tracking out of Southern California, will pack more of a wallop for Fresno and the Sierra.

After a brief dry respite, we’ll be needing our umbrellas and rainboots again in Fresno for the next week or so, with a series of storms forecast to bring a couple inches of rain to the Valley.

And you’ll need chains if you’re heading up into the Sierra, because the three storms also will bring more much-needed snow to the mountains between Yosemite and Fresno County, National Weather Service meteorologist Carlos Molina said Wednesday morning.

The first showers are scheduled to arrive Wednesday afternoon, with about 1/3 inch of rain in Merced and a quarter-inch of rain in Fresno forecast through Thursday morning, Molina said. Snow will fall in Yosemite above 6,000 feet, with 8 to 12 inches hitting Tioga Pass and Tuolumne Meadows, he said.

The first storm will move out around 11 a.m. Thursday, with drier weather through Friday. But the second wave is scheduled to arrive Saturday, also tracking to the north, with similar rain and snow amounts forecast, Molina said. Fresno could get up to a third of an inch of rain by the time the storm peters out late Saturday or early Sunday.

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Third Storm Will Be Biggest

The third of the three storms will arrive later Sunday and will contain more moisture for Fresno and the central Sierra, Molina said.

“The third storm is going to be the one of the highest impact, giving us two times — maybe even three times — what the first two storms will give us,” he said.

Rainfall could total 1.5 inches in Fresno and 2 inches in Merced, and the Sierra between Fresno County and Yosemite could get snowfall totaling 2 to 3 feet, with as much as 4 feet of snow in isolated areas, he said.

The moisture will keep the air from drying out, which means nighttime lows will remain in the 40s and daytime highs in the low to mid-60s, Molina said.

And if you’re hoping for a little drying out after Monday — the weak El Nino system seems likely to keep bringing rain and snow here through February and into March, he said.