Bomb cyclone blasts California with heavy rain, high winds, mountain snow

The next round of wet weather is drenching California Wednesday as a massive storm system swirled off their coast, with rain showers spreading across the state from Redding in the north to the Los Angeles area in the south.

For the second time in two weeks, a bomb cyclone is slamming California, with more flooding rains, high winds and heavy mountain snow.

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The powerful Pacific storm started pushing into Northern California and the Pacific Northwest Late Monday, with rain falling along the coast and lower elevations while the northern Sierra Nevada is seeing heavy snow that is only adding to its historic totals for the winter.

The storm "bombed out" before it impacted the West Coast, meaning there was a rapid drop in the storm’s central pressure.

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The north Bay Area has so far been hit the hardest. On Tuesday, Venado in Sonoma County received 2.96 inches of rain. The Las Trampas in the East Bay Hills near Oakland clocked a wind gust of 65 mph. Oakland's airport recorded a 51 mph gust and San Francisco International Airport had a 48 mph gust.

Heavy snow fell in the Northern Sierra Nevada Mountains creating a nightmare for travelers and keeping first responders busy.

Even moderate rain falling on saturated ground touched off landslides near Yosemite.

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Showers, thunderstorms and hail for Northern California on Wednesday

Forecast rain totals through Thursday.
(FOX Weather)


 

Northern California and the Central Coast had a brief break in the rain Tuesday night, but the next round of wet weather had already moved back on Wednesday as the massive storm system swirled off the California coast with rain showers, thunderstorms and hail across the state from Redding in the north to the Los Angeles area in the south. 

The National Weather Service said rainfall totals in California will be much less than what the state saw on Tuesday and with previous storms, however with the already saturated soil, there is still a risk of flash flooding.

The flash flood threat through Thursday morning.
(FOX Weather)


 

The flash flood risk extends from Sacramento to Monterey and Fresno, as well as into Southern California's Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and San Diego.

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Meanwhile, Winter Storm Warnings continue in the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada from the California-Oregon border to Yosemite National Park and parts of Southern California.

The National Weather Service in Hanford, California, said heavy snow is expected above 4,000 feet, with snow totals of 2-4 feet above 6,000 feet. Winds will also gust higher than 60 mph on exposed ridgetops and along the crests, according to the NWS

A year's worth of rainy days in 3 months for Southern California

The low-pressure system will continue to make a slow trek south down the California coast Wednesday, keeping things wet across much of the state before weakening and moving inland into Southern California on Thursday.  

Thus, Southern Californians might still need an umbrella for Thursday as scattered showers pelt the area, possibly with thunderstorms and hail. For Downtown Los Angeles, it'll likely mark the 33rd with measurable rain already in 2023 – the most since 1983. 

Downtown Los Angeles averages about 33 days with measurable rain for an entire year. 

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