Several impacts continuing for California with more heavy rain, higher terrain snow and strong winds with additional downed trees and power lines.
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Mudslides, flooding, rapid rises on rivers, flash flood and debris flows on burn scars; avalanches and infrastructure impacts become even more likely this week.
Meanwhile, above normal temperatures are in the forecast for the Southern Plains.
No significant letup expected to the recent very wet weather pattern that has been plaguing much of California.
The ongoing heavy rains Monday afternoon across central California will be dropping into Southern California tonight into early Tuesday.
These heavy rains will pose the threat of flash flooding and mudslides from Los Angeles to San Diego, especially across burn scar regions where lessened vegetation increases the risks.
While areas of Central to Northern California will see some respite from recent heavy rains later today into early Tuesday, it will be short lived as the next in the seemingly never ending parade of strong wet Pacific systems pushes more heavy precipitation across all of California on Tuesday.
Nearly all of California has seen much above average rainfall totals over the past several weeks, with totals 400-600% above average values.
This has resulted in nearly saturated soils and increasingly high river levels.
Additional heavy rains on Tuesday will exacerbate ongoing flooding and continue the risk of flash flooding and mudslides, especially across recent burn scar regions.
The one good aspect of the recent heavy rains has been relief from the drought that has been persistent across large portions of the West.
Large portions of California into the Great Basin have seen 1 to 2 drought class improvements over the past month.
This much above average precipitation is also being seen in reservoir levels across California.
Many reservoirs are now above their historical average levels, with water levels increasing rapidly during the past month.
The Tuesday heavy rain event will wind down Tuesday night across much of the state.
However, yet another batch of heavy precipitation will be moving into Northern California and the coastal Pacific Northwest on Wednesday.
This batch of heavy rains will, however, not make its way southward into central to southern California.
When all is said and done, precipitation totals over the next few days will be in the 3-7 inch range through the Transverse Range of Southern California, northward along the central to northern California coast ranges and through the Sierra.
Widespread considerable flood impact likely across large portions of California into western Nevada Inland, very heavy snows are likely through the Sierras of California, the Wasatch of Utah and Central Rockies from Colorado into northwest Wyoming and far eastern Idaho.
Snowfall totals of 2 to 4 feet likely through the Sierra and totals of 1 to 2 feet expected through the Wasatch and Central Rockies region.
The heavy snows, especially through the Sierra will increase the risk of avalanches and impacts to infrastructure from the increasing snow load across these area.
Travel will become increasingly difficult above 4000 feet in central to northern California.
The parade of storms affecting California and the west is indicative of an overall progressive west to east flow pattern across the Lower 48.
This will continue to keep arctic air absent from most of the U.S. over the next several days.
Temperatures are expected to remain above to much above average across much of the nation this week.
The exception to this will be across California into the Great Basin and Southwest where the series of storms and heavy precipitation will result in temperatures slightly below average. ■