More snow is on its way to the Pacific Northwest only a week after California saw up to 10 feet of snow with a severe blizzard that hit the Sierra Nevada mountains.
The most recent snowstorm started late last week and brought more than 100 inches of snow to some high-elevation areas in the state. The blizzard followed a slew of atmospheric rivers that brought a deluge of rain to the state. The weather has drenched California this winter, and several cities have already surpassed their annual average rainfall amounts.
"Atmospheric rivers" or "rivers in the sky" are defined as a "long, narrow regions in the atmosphere that transport most of the water vapor outside of the tropics," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
AccuWeather meteorologists published a map on Thursday that shows which parts of the state will get hit the hardest by the incoming snow.
"The majority of precipitation from these storms will stay north of the San Francisco Bay area across Northern California and into the Northwest, where there will be heavy coastal rain and heavy mountain snow," AccuWeather Chief Video Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said in the report.
AccuWeather meteorologist Alex DaSilva told Newsweek that snow will mostly fall above 2,000 feet in elevation, and areas below that level will receive rain instead. He said no major cities in California are anticipating heavy snow with the storm.
"This is going to be mainly a mountain event," DaSilva said.
The northern and central Sierra Nevada mountains are expected to receive the brunt of the storm with up to 12 inches forecast to fall in the highest elevation areas. DaSilva didn't anticipate any road closures from the storm, although some roads through the mountains may become slippery. Snow will begin falling in the Sierra Nevada mountains by Sunday.
Rain is forecast for lower elevation areas throughout the northern half of California. Washington and Oregon also are expected to receive rain, with up to an inch forecast for Seattle and Portland. Rain and snow also will fall throughout, Idaho, the northern half of Nevada and parts of Utah, Montana and Wyoming.
Following the incoming storm, dry and mild weather is expected to return to California next week.
Wet weather has been the pattern for California this winter, causing many cities to already exceed their average annual rainfall totals, including Los Angeles, San Diego and Riverside. The excessive rain has been the result of several atmospheric rivers that have brought torrential downpours across the state.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Anna Skinner is a Newsweek senior reporter based in Indianapolis. Her focus is reporting on the climate, environment and weather ... Read more
