Here we go again: A powerful Pacific storm moved into California on Tuesday, promising to deliver strong winds, low temperatures and even more rainfall to the waterlogged state.
The "cold and vigorous storm system" originated in the Gulf of Alaska, the National Weather Service said. It will strike Northern California on Tuesday and make its way south and east through Wednesday, keeping high temperatures in the 50s across much of the state.
The storm will likely result in "more downed trees and power lines and power outages," but is not expected to be as violent as the "bomb cyclone" that struck the state last week, said UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain.
"I don't think there's going to be a repeat of that, even though the impacts from this storm will be higher than a storm of this magnitude would usually be, just because there's been so many strong storms that have preceded it," he said.
The San Francisco Bay Area, where widespread power outages and at least 5 deaths were reported during last week's storm, was already seeing showers Tuesday morning when it was shaken by a 3.5-magnitude earthquake.
The incoming system was expected to strengthen over Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties as well as the San Francisco peninsula throughout the day, with 50-mph wind gusts, 1 to 2 inches of rain and the possibility of low-elevation snow. Up to 7 inches of snow could fall near the peaks of the Santa Lucia Mountains along the central coast.
Further inland, the Sacramento Valley and Sierra Nevada were also bracing for widespread rain and heavy mountain snow.
The Sierra could receive up to 4 feet of fresh powder from the storm, while the Coastal Range and Shasta County mountains could see up to 3 feet, said Chelsea Peters, a meteorologist with the weather service in Sacramento.
"We had a couple of weeks' break there in late January and into February, but otherwise it's kind of been nonstop," she said of the state's wet season. "This winter has been abnormally wet overall, and then on top of that, significantly anomalous in terms of the snowfall that we've seen, particularly in the Sierra."
Statewide snowpack was 227% of normal for the date on Tuesday, according to state data. In the southern Sierra, it was 284% of normal — an all-time record.
Peters said the incoming snow will continue to add to hazards and travel risks in mountain areas.
"There are pretty heavy snowfall rates expected — generally 2 to 4 inches an hour, which is not good driving conditions," she said, adding that people should reschedule travel plans in the mountains until after the storm, if possible.
Southern California won't escape the storm, either. The system is expected to move into the region Wednesday afternoon into Thursday. Coasts and valleys from San Luis Obispo to Los Angeles could get up to an inch of rain, while hills and mountain areas could see up to 2 inches.
The storm will also deliver snow, including up to 8 inches at elevations above 5,000 feet. The Santa Barbara and Ventura County mountains could get up to 14 inches, with amounts of 18 inches possible in the L.A. County mountains.
A winter weather advisory will be in effect from early Wednesday morning through Thursday for the Santa Barbara and Ventura County mountains and into the Interstate 5 corridor of the L.A. County mountains. A winter storm watch has been added to the San Gabriel Mountains.
"Isolated thunderstorms with brief heavy downpours, gusty winds and small hail remain a possibility, especially Wednesday and Thursday" in Southern California, forecasters said.
However, much of the focus remains on the Central Valley, where residents are continuing to deal with severe flood impacts from rain, snow and swelling rivers brought on by the previous storms.
Evacuation warnings remain in effect in parts of Porterville, Allensworth and other areas along the Tule River. Officials have expressed considerable concern about severe flooding as the deep Sierra snow melts in the weeks and months ahead.
Tulare Lake — which was drained in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to divert more water for agriculture — has already begun to reemerge as floodwater swallows fields, orchards and low-lying towns.
The Central Valley is expected to receive about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch of rain, while the southern Sierra could see 4 feet of snow at elevations above 5,000 feet, according to Josue Chamberlain, a meteorologist with the weather service in Hanford.
"It's been a wet and snowy winter, but this storm system seems to be more moderate compared to the last system," Chamberlain said. However, avalanche watches are in effect in Mono County, the eastern Sierra slopes of Inyo County and the greater Lake Tahoe area until Wednesday morning.
The storm arrives on the heels of a winter and spring that have eased drought conditions but tested the state's residents with extreme weather, including widespread flooding, power outages, tornadoes and deadly blizzards.
Conditions are expected to clear only briefly after the storm, with another system potentially hitting the state sometime between Sunday night and Tuesday, forecasters said.
"It's been a hell of a year in California weather and it isn't over yet," said Swain, of UCLA. "There's still more to come."
