Stormy days ahead for Valley
Could deliver nearly two inches of rain to city
It might not be the “March Miracle” the Central Valley needs to make up for very low rain and snowfall totals so far this winter, but a series of storm systems moving through California over the next several days could cumulatively bring nearly two inches of rainfall to Porterville and substantial snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains by Sunday.
The first of the systems, which arrived Tuesday afternoon and will be exiting the Valley late Wednesday night, will likely deliver between .75 and 1.25 inches according to National Weather Service Hanford.
A winter storm warning is in effect for areas above 6,000 feet across the Sierra Nevada from Kings Canyon to Yosemite until 11 p.m. Wednesday, and a winter weather advisory is also in effect for the Tulare County mountains during that time period.
Kris Mattarochia, meteorologist with the NWS Hanford, said it is very unusual to have storm systems delivering such quantities of rainfall this late in the wet season.
“It’s an unusual pattern and an unusual system. Normally at this point in March our wet season typically starts tailing of,” said Mattarochia. “One of the storms we had a week ago had about a one-in-ten chance of having rainfall amounts as high as it delivered during that week of any given year, and this system is going to follow that same type of rarity.”
The sequence of systems are the result of a deep area of low pressure dropping south from the Pacific Northwest, accompanied by strong wind and cold air that could produce thunder and hail to accompany Wednesday’s rain.
A break will be possible Thursday, with rain and snow returning Thursday night into Friday. Snow levels at times
will be low enough for the potential of snow along all of the mountain passes, including the Grapevine, and NWS Hanford predicts the weekend system could deliver an additional .25 to .75 inches.
The weekend system will possibly be a wetter round, with more widespread snowfall possible across the Sierra. Another Winter Storm Watch may become necessary for the higher elevations and potentially the foothills with the system following the Thursday
break.
If that isn’t a pleasant enough surprise for Central Valley residents, there’s more to come.
“The long range weather models are in fair agreement of another system moving through Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday of next week as well,” said Mattarochia. For that system, NWS Hanford is describing the models as having “aboveaverage confidence for another impactful rain and snow event.”