Storm to Bring Heavy Rain and Mudslide Risk to Southern California
After a stretch of dry and warm weather, a surge of tropical moisture is bringing the chance of heavy rain, flash flooding, and mudslides to California and the Southwest. Here is the latest on the next round of soggy weather headed toward this corner of the country.
Remnants of Trudy to Amplify Non-Tropical Storm Spreading Across the Western U.S.
It has been a volatile fall for much of Southern California and the Southwest, largely due to the active hurricane season that has unfolded in the Eastern Pacific. Once again, another tropical weather maker will be responsible for an influx of moisture. Now it is Tropical Storm Trudy that is spinning off the southwestern coast of Mexico that will be responsible for the shift in conditions.
Trudy will pair with a non-tropical storm inching closer to the West Coast to amplify the downpours for parts of the southwestern quadrant of the U.S. The outer bands of the non-tropical storm will first hit California on Tuesday. The line of moisture will spread across the Golden State throughout the day and into Wednesday. Colder temperatures in the mountains will translate to snow across the higher elevations.
The core of this system will reach Southern and Central California on Wednesday. Places such as Los Angeles will see cloudy skies and rain showers throughout the day, keeping the temperatures in the mid 70s for highs. It could be a rough Thursday morning commute in the City of Angels, with scattered thunderstorms expected. Despite the sun coming out later in the day, highs will struggle to break out of the upper 60s for this part of Southern California.
The moisture is good news for the parts of Southern California still dealing with wildfires whipped up from last week's Santa Ana wind event. However, the threat of heavy rain and thunderstorms will also usher in a new risk, as mudslides and debris flows are possible over the recent burn scars.
Rain Will Move Farther Inland on Wednesday and Thursday
The storm will push farther inland as the week progresses, just as the remnants from Trudy head to the same part of the Desert Southwest. The merger of these two systems will result in heavy rain and the threat of flooding on Wednesday and Thursday for large portions of Arizona, Utah, western Colorado, and New Mexico.
The latest forecast models are predicting up to 6 inches of rain by the time that the two storms fade away. Areas in the line of fire for rain of this magnitude include the Arizona cities of Phoenix, Tucson, and Flagstaff. Looking at Phoenix specifically, the Valley of the Sun is forecast to see the threat of storms beginning Wednesday afternoon and lasting through the day and night Thursday. Friday is setting up to be a lovely day with sunny skies and moderate highs that top out in the upper 70s.
The rainy conditions will move into the Rocky Mountain region late in the week. The colder air in this part of the western U.S. will translate to another round of snow for the mountains, helping to build the snowpack heading into the ski season.
The persistent train of storms chugging through the Southwest this fall has helped to alleviate some of the drought concerns in the parched region. The intensifying El Niño phase is likely to mean that the stormy weather pattern will linger through the rest of the fall and into the winter. This wet winter is forecast for central and southern portions of California, as well as the Southwest. The only part of the western U.S. expecting a drier-than-usual winter due to El Niño is the Pacific Northwest.
The ski resorts in the region are counting on the expectation of more snow this season following last year's dismal precipitation totals. Likewise, the major reservoirs in the Southwest, specifically Lake Powell and Lake Mead, desperately need to replenish their water levels.
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