Travelers beware: The Pineapple Express is headed to California bringing snow, wind and rain during Christmas week.
Drone footage captures rivers flooding in Washington state
An atmospheric river storm began flooding Washington state Wednesday (Dec. 10), with the Puyallup River flooding its banks.
After weeks of dry, mild weather, the tide is turning in California. An onslaught of rain, snow and wind is expected over Christmas week as a series of atmospheric rivers unleashes a firehose of moisture on the Golden State.
“Those planning vacation travel by land or air should always keep an eye on the weather forecast and adjust accordingly,” the National Weather Service advised in an online forecast.
How much does it rain? Weather Trader meteorologist Ryan Maue said in an email to USA TODAY that as much as 10 to 15 inches were expected along the California coast, including from Monterey Bay to the San Francisco Bay area.
“The fire hoses are on, but it’s not going to go away anytime soon,” meteorologist Matt Lanza said on his blog The Eyewall.
storm train
“A line of storms, including Pineapple Express, centered in western Washington, will move south this weekend and remain focused in California through much of the Christmas week,” AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said in an online forecast.
Pineapple Express is the nickname for a specific type of atmospheric river that has its source in the tropics near Hawaii.
“As the rain gets heavier, so does the risk of flooding and landslides,” Sosnowski said.
“Onshore flow will continue to drive atmospheric rivers toward the West Coast, causing heavy rain, especially in California,” the weather service said.
weekend washout
An atmospheric river is expected to make its way to Northern California over the weekend, bringing slightly higher and heavier rainfall, according to the National Weather Service.
“The storm from Saturday night, Dec. 20 through Monday, Dec. 22, will bring even more heavy rain to Northern California,” said Michael Stahlman, AccuWeather’s chief storm warning meteorologist.
AccuWeather said the west-facing slopes of the Ciskis Mountains and the northern Sierra Nevada Coast Range could receive several inches of rain per few hours at atmospheric river levels from Sunday, Dec. 21 through Monday, Dec. 22.
The San Francisco Weather Bureau announced that this system will bring moderate to heavy rain to the Bay Area and Central Coast from Saturday night, Dec. 20, through Tuesday night, Dec. 23.
“Isolated to scattered flash flooding is possible in low-lying areas and urban areas. Some small streams and streams may flood,” the Bureau of Meteorology said.
southern california immersion
AccuWeather says rain could start in parts of coastal Southern California as early as Tuesday, Dec. 23.
“Heavy rain and urban flooding issues are predicted to occur in the Los Angeles and San Diego metropolitan areas from Wednesday, Dec. 24 through Friday, Dec. 26, potentially disrupting outdoor Christmas-related activities,” AccuWeather’s Sosnowski said.
The Los Angeles Weather Bureau announced, “A strong storm will dump several inches of rain across the region from Tuesday, Dec. 22 through Wednesday, Dec. 24. Coasts and valleys could see 1 to 2 inches of rain, and foothills and mountain ranges could see 2 to 4 inches.”
Sierra Nevada snow is coming soon
AccuWeather says snow levels will start to rise this weekend, but will fluctuate in the Sierra Nevada into Christmas week. “Several feet of snow is expected on the ridges and summits of the Sierra Nevada, which has seen little to no snow so far this season, which will be a boon for vacationing ski enthusiasts and facilitate runoff into the coming spring and early summer months,” Sosnowski said.
“A winter storm is possible around Christmas, potentially disrupting holiday travel in and around the Sierra Nevada,” the Reno Weather Service said.
