CALIFORNIA, US - California’s stretch of quiet weather is about to end. A quick-hitting Pacific storm races inland Wednesday into Thursday, bringing a messy mix of drenching rain, Sierra snow and travel headaches from the Bay Area to the San Bernardino Mountains. Meteorologists at AccuWeather say the setup is brief, but intense enough to cause delays on both the roads and in the air.
Warm weather sticks around until the rain arrives late Wednesday. Then temperatures fall sharply over the Sierra Nevada, flipping the switch from rain to accumulating snow—fast. At higher elevations above 8,000 feet, feet of snow and blizzard-like gusts could bury ridgelines and close passes. Donner Pass may start wet, but forecasters say the back half of the storm could change over to heavy snow, with near-whiteout conditions possible Thursday afternoon and evening.
Lower elevations won’t escape the mess. A soaking round of rain could create ponding, slick roads, and isolated flash flooding from the Central Coast to Southern California. San Francisco should see the brunt from Wednesday night into Thursday morning, while Los Angeles deals with the heaviest rain during the Thursday afternoon and evening commute. San Diego’s worst timing looks to be Thursday night.
After the storm pushes out, colder air and leftover moisture may spark additional snow showers in mountain passes on Friday, especially in the Pacific Northwest.
We’ll be tracking how this quick blast of winter weather affects travel, freight and the holiday push—stay tuned and check ANUK for the latest updates.
