More Weekend Flooding Rain, Mountain Snow Eye West Coast
UPDATED 1:45 PM PST, December 1, 2012
UPDATED By WeatherBug Meteorologist, Fred Allen
Yet another powerful moisture-laden Pacific storm will dump heavy rain and mountain snow across the West Coast and northern Rocky Front Range tonight and Sunday. Not only will the flood threat grow, but dangerous landslides and potentially destructive wind gusts will also batter the region.
California`s San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys, as well as the San Francisco Bay area have been at the epicenter of staggering rainfall accumulations since the middle of last week. Unfortunately, another punch of Pacific moisture will rush onto the West Coast tonight and Sunday, spelling more unwanted drenching rain.
Rainfall tallies since Wednesday continue to climb, with Kentfield, Calif., an Earth Networks Live Tracking Station, measuring 8.58 inches; a whopping 7.04 inches of that fell since Friday alone. Alta, Calif., tops the list with 8.86 inches thus far, while an Earth Networks Live Tracking Station in Ross, Calif., has received 6.31 inches of rain.
A stagnant weather pattern has been at the helm for all this repeated wet weather along the West Coast during the past week. Just like its predecessors, this storm will be flung onto the West Coast by a parent low pressure camped out along the British Columbia Coast.
One to 3 inches will be squeezed out from Seattle to San Francisco, with 3 to 8 inches pelting saturated soil along the western slopes of Mount Shasta, Calif., the northern and central Sierra Nevada Spine, and along the southwestern Oregon Coast.
Flood Watches, Flood Warnings, and Flood Advisories remain in place for southwestern Oregon, the northern California Coast, and California`s San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys.
The succession of moist Pacific storms along with a lack of vegetation from this summer`s wildfires, as well as excessive runoff from snowmelt and clogged storm drains, will fuel a growing flash flood and life-threatening landslide later tonight and Sunday.
All this Pacific moisture will be converted to snow for the highest passes of the Cascades, Washington`s Olympic Mountains, as well as from Idaho`s Sawtooth Mountains to western Wyoming`s Tetons. Winter Storm Warnings and Winter Weather Advisories are in place here, with a smattering of Winter Storm Watches now in place for the eastern slopes of the Washington Cascades and northeastern Washington State Mountains.
Snowfall accumulations of 1 to 2 feet are expected above 7,000 feet, with 5 to 10 inches likely as low as 3,000 feet.
As if that weren`t enough, the storm will dish out a blow of howling winds, potentially damaging at that. Not only will power disruptions grow, but driving will be a challenge for lowlands and passes alike. Gusts between 50 and 75 mph will be the norm, with the Sierra Ridge likely to see a few gusts flirt with 140 mph. Wind Advisories and High Wind Watches and Warnings remain in place from California`s San Joaquin Valley to north-central Montana.
After a brief respite late Monday into early Tuesday, another powerful Pacific disturbance will slide onto the West Coast by mid-week.
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