Monster Storms Flood Parts of California as Sierra Nevada Gets Extreme Snow

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A flood threat remains for much of the California coast as another round of moisture pushes inland, after Monday's storms shattered daily rain records. Meanwhile, heavy snow is spreading from the Northern California mountain ranges into the southern part of the Sierra Nevada, adding to the state's snowpack and eventually reaching the Rockies farther east, which are in a dire snow deficit.

Why it matters

These powerful storms are causing significant flooding and disruption across California, while also providing much-needed snow to the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountain regions that have been experiencing severe drought conditions and low snowpack levels in recent years. The heavy precipitation is critical for replenishing water supplies for drinking, agriculture, and other uses in the western U.S. during the drier summer months.

The details

On Monday, 1-2 inches of rain fell across the Los Angeles Basin, while 3-5 inches dropped across the Coastal Range north of the Bay Area, leading to urban flooding that swamped parts of LA. Several daily rain records were broken, including in Stockton and Modesto. More rain is expected across California on Tuesday, with the heaviest rainfall forecast for the San Francisco area in the morning and Los Angeles in the evening. A low-level flash flood threat covers the California coast from just north of the Bay Area south through San Diego. Meanwhile, heavy snow is spreading from the Northern California mountain ranges into the southern Sierra Nevada, with wind gusts of 45-55 mph creating periods of whiteout driving conditions.

• On Monday, the storms shattered daily rain records.
• More rain is expected across California on Tuesday, with the heaviest rainfall forecast for the San Francisco area in the morning and Los Angeles in the evening.
• A low-level flash flood threat covers the California coast from just north of the Bay Area south through San Diego, before waning heading into Wednesday morning.
• A third round of less intense rain will target the state on Thursday.
• The higher peaks of Northern Sierra could tally up to 8 feet of snow through Friday, while Lake Tahoe and the San Gabriel Mountains could see up to 4 feet of snow.

What’s next

As the storms continue to track eastward, they will provide much-needed snow for the Rockies, where some snowpacks are at record lows. Utah is seeing record-low snow levels across the state, with a snow-water equivalent of near 6 percent, a low not seen since 1981.