CALIFORNIA - It looks as though the Sierra Mountains are going to continue to look like actual winter as we approach Christmas.
A train of storms is traveling down the west, bringing wind, snow, and rain southward, AccuWeather reports, with the heaviest concentration of rain and snow to focus on Oregon and part of Northern California this weekend.
Moisture has already begun to collect, with parts of California receiving rain yesterday morning and the Sierra Nevada seeing up to two feet of snow, according to the Sacramento Bee.
Despite the addition to the snowpacks, it looks as though this round will not be as heavy as those that have preceded it.
"Storms will continue to move in from the Pacific Ocean next week," Brett Anderson, Senior Meteorologist for AccuWeather, said in a report. "However, the storms will not bring as much precipitation and should have greater separation from one another, when compared to the past couple of weeks."
While the snow could let up into next week, the cold is said to stick around, which will create prime conditions for skiiers and snowboarders alike.
"The air that settles into the western United States next week will originate in part from Alaska and part from the Pacific Ocean," Paul Pastelok, AccuWeather Chief Long Range Meteorologist, said. "The end result of the air mass blend will deliver temperatures of 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit below average. For much of the interior West and in portions of the Rockies and Great Basin, this will be the coldest weather of the season so far."
The good news for this cold is that it will hopefully be able to keep the snow in place long enough to add to the snowpack, a continuing concern as the state focuses on conserving water.
"Once cold air settles into the Great Basin and the Intermountain West this time of the year, it is difficult to rout out," Pastelok said. "And, this certainly looks like a situation where the cold will linger with areas of fresh snowcover offering assistance."
Central and Southern California will also see continued cold temperatures in the next week, according to AccuWeather, with the pattern setting up multiple nights with a significant frost or freeze over the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, and the Inland Empire, as well as temperatures dipping below that of late November. This, too, will funnel down into Southern California’s Santa Ana areas.
AndNowUKnow will continue to follow weather patterns that could potentially impact fresh produce growth and transit as they develop.
