While winter has been in full swing across the eastern two-thirds of the nation since late November, the West Coast has had a hard time finding much in the way of extreme cold or snow. A change is already underway for the West.
A series of storm systems from the Pacific Ocean are forecast to succeed in reaching the California, Oregon and Washington coasts through this weekend and into next week.
Enough cold air will be in place to bring snow not only to the Sierra Nevada and Cascades, but also to areas along the coast in the Northwest. Much-Needed Rain, Snow to Reach California
Farther south into California, rounds of heavy rain and snow will fall into early next week.
In many areas along the West coast, anywhere from 18 to as much as 36 inches of rainfall is needed to bring an end to the drought, and that does not appear likely in the pattern.
However, the rain and snow will bring some short-term benefits.
The rain will dampen the landscape and reduce the wildfire threat. It will also bring a boost to ski resorts in the region. It may be enough to put some water back into area streams. As much as 6 inches of water may be locked up in the snowfall over the mountains, which will be released in the spring.
By Anthony Sagliani, Meteorologist for AccuWeather.com
Cumulative snowfall accumulations will generally range from a few inches in the elevations above 5,000 feet to several feet over peaks and ridges.
In terms of the ongoing drought that has gripped parts of the West for years, the moisture with this system will make only a small dent in the huge precipitation deficits that have been racking up.