Big rain and snow could hit California around Christmas, risking floods, landslides and snarling travel

"Big rain and snow could hit California around Christmastime, ending a long dry spell for the state. There's a high risk for heavy rainfall along the entire California coast between Dec. 23 through Christmas Day, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center said. There's also a high risk of heavy snow along the Sierra Nevada. The rains would be fueled by atmospheric river storms, which pounded the Pacific Northwest earlier this month, causing flooding and evacuations."

""Pretty much all the ensemble projections bring widespread rain sometime in the Dec. 23-26 window, which will certainly bring impacts to the busy Christmas holiday," said the National Weather Service in Oxnard. About 1 in 5 forecast projections expect a strong storm with rain totals of 4 or more inches. It's still very early to be a definitive forecast, however, and things could change, "but if nothing else, be prepared for at least some rain around Christmas," the weather service said."

Heavy rain and snow are likely across California around Dec. 23–25, with high risk of heavy rainfall along the entire coast and heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada. Atmospheric river storms are expected to fuel the precipitation and could bring flooding and evacuations similar to recent storms in the Pacific Northwest. Forecast ensembles show widespread rain in the Dec. 23–26 window, with about one in five projections indicating a strong storm producing four or more inches of rain. Possible impacts include flooding, landslides, difficult mountain travel, rapid mud and debris flows in burned areas, high winds, and power outages. Conditions are expected to remain dry and warmer than usual through the current week.

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