Pacific moisture coming next week, but snow levels still a question
Jan. 13 2012
The dry spell that has gripped Northern California and western Nevada for weeks is about to give way. But there are still some questions about the timing and the nature of the precipitation that is coming.
What we do know is that a low pressure system setting up in the Gulf of Alaska is forecast to sweep across the region late Sunday and Monday, bringing cooler temperatures, high winds and a chance of snow to far Northern California, with perhaps a few flurries around Tahoe. Temperatures will be cooler in its wake, dropping to 10 degrees or so below normal on Monday and Tuesday.
The real change is likely to hit Northern California later in the week, around Wednesday or Thursday. This will be the long-awaited return of a wetter pattern of moisture from across the Pacific. The first storms in this series will be pointed more at Oregon and far Northern California than at Tahoe. But they will be very moist, packing several inches of precipitation, which will translate into several feet of snow where it falls. By Thursday at the latest we in Tahoe should be under at least the southern edge of this Pacific fire hose. Oregon will be getting hammered.
The next question will be the temperature. Early forecasts show this warm Pacific moisture pushing the cold air out of the region and moving snow levels up to around 7000 feet, maybe higher, for the initial storms. So we could be seeing some rain at the mountain passes and below.
The next system in the series, likely to arrive around next weekend, looks even stronger for us, but it is too early to say what will happen with the temperatures, and the snow levels.
Stay tuned for updates.
