WeatherFanatics: Pacific Storm to Unload Rain, Snow in Thirsty California

Friday, October 31, 2014

Pacific Storm to Unload Rain, Snow in Thirsty California

By Brian Lada, Meteorologist

November 1,2014; 12:53AM,EDT

Rain will finally make a return to drought-stricken California by the weekend with rain reaching all the way down into Southern California.
Rain has made an appearance on multiple occasions across northern California during the month of October, but has very seldom made it far enough south to reach cities such as San Francisco.
Things will be different heading into the weekend, however, as a cold front swinging over the region brings rain to nearly all of the state with only the deserts in the southeast corner of the state remaining dry.
The timing of this rain may turn out to be problematic for trick-or-treaters heading out on Friday evening as the rain can dampen the Halloween festivity.

According to AccuWeather.com Western Weather Expert Ken Clark, the wettest weather on Friday evening for trick-or-treaters can be found from the South Central coast to much of the San Joaquin Valley and all the Sierra.
"In the Los Angeles area, the greatest amount of rain takes place after 9 p.m. but it could shower or lightly rain in spots," Clark continued.

The heaviest rain is expected to fall over the northern and central portions of the Golden State from Friday afternoon through Friday night before tapering off on Saturday.
San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, Fresno and Redding are just a few Californian cities that can expect a steady rain to fall for a time as the front moves over the state.
Father south, the rain is not expected to be quite as heavy, but should sill enough to wet roads and dampen lawns around Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose and Long Beach.

Since some locations in Southern California have not received rain in quite some time, some roads may become extra slick due to the build up of oil on paved surfaces.
While rain is forecast to fall across the lower elevations, snow is expected over the mountains with upwards of a foot falling in portions of the Sierra.
Those in California looking to spend time in the outdoors this weekend can expect the rain to end by Sunday, allowing for more favorable conditions for activities such as running, hiking or golfing.
RELATED:
Ken Clark's Western Weather Blog
AccuWeather.com 2014-2015 Winter Weather Forecast
Interactive Radar
This rain is much needed for California as most of the state continues to experience an extreme drought.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, more than 37 million people are being affected by the drought in California, which is nearly all of the state's population.
It is unlikely that this single storm will have a major impact on the drought as it will take much more rain over a longer period of time to reduce its severity.
Fortunately, California is preparing to enter their rainy season, meaning that there will likely be more storms that bring more rain across the state in the upcoming months.
As stated in AccuWeather.com 2014-2015 U.S. Winter Forecast, "Southern California looks to fare better than its northern counterpart with slightly above-normal precipitation this season, especially in areas farther from the coast."

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