An unseasonably cold and vigorous storm system is wreaking havoc along the southwestern Pacific Coast this weekend, bringing rain, flash flooding, and snow to parts of California and other states, according to forecasters.
The National Weather Service in San Diego issued a flash flood warning on Saturday morning, alerting residents about potential flooding in the southwestern part of the state. The storm is expected to continue moving along the coast and eventually inland.
Bob Smerbeck, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, warned, “This storm is going to have an impact all the way across the country, but right now the storm center is off the California coast. There’s going to be some flooding issues, mudslides, and debris. People should keep their guard up.”
The storm, coming off the coast of California, is expected to shift south and eastward on Saturday or Sunday, posing a risk of flash flooding in Southern California, said Allison Santorelli, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Md.
Los Angeles has already received one to two inches of rain, while Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties have seen rainfall amounts of two to four inches, according to Ms. Santorelli. The Transverse Ranges and Sierra Nevada could experience heavy snowfall, with significant accumulation expected above 6,000 feet.
Windy conditions are expected to persist, with gusts of 50 to 60 miles per hour above 5,000 feet through Saturday morning. The combination of strong winds and heavy snow could lead to short-term blizzard conditions in the mountain areas, prompting winter storm warnings for most of the mountains through Sunday evening.
While California is expected to dry out by Monday, the storm will move into Arizona over the weekend. Western Arizona is forecasted to experience heavy rain overnight on Saturday and into Sunday, with a wind advisory in effect for parts of the state.
The storm is also expected to bring significant precipitation to parts of Colorado, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. AccuWeather is forecasting a foot of snow in Flagstaff, Ariz., as the storm continues its path across the region.
