A series of storms is expected to drop snow at the lowest elevations of the season in California this weekend but meteorologists say it won’t do much to boost the scanty snowpack in the Sierra Nevada.
Storms have already soaked Southern California with rain that will give way to strong winds and much cooler temperatures heading into the weekend.
While the recent storms brought record rainfall and strong surf to the coast in the last weeks of 2023, they brought below-average amounts of snow to the mountains, putting the state in the midst of a “snow drought,” according to experts.
The latest snow survey at Phillips Station near South Lake Tahoe revealed a snowpack measuring 7.5 inches, with a snow water content of 3 inches, according to the California Department of Water Resources. That’s just 30% of average for the date, and 12% of the average for April 1, when the snowpack is typically at its deepest.
The latest storms will bring snow levels Wednesday night to their lowest elevation yet this winter. For Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the snow level will drop to the 4,500-to-5,000-foot range, according to the National Weather Service.
The band of a cold system that passed over the eastern part of the state dropped several inches of snow on the Greater Lake Tahoe area on the California and Nevada border. From 1 to 4 inches of snow fell at lake level by Wednesday morning and higher elevations were expected to receive a foot of snow by midday, according to the forecasts.
In the Tahoe Basin, snow levels overnight dropped to 4,000 feet. Some higher elevations are forecast to receive up to 5 inches of snow, with a very slight chance for snow on the Tejon Pass on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning.
The rain system that passed through Southern California on Wednesday morning brought a smattering of precipitation during the morning rush hour, according to the National Weather Service. Over a 12-hour period, Leo Carrillo State Beach received 0.11 of an inch of rain and the Santa Monica Pier received 0.01 of an inch, while San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties received higher totals.
There will be a break from the rain and snow on Thursday, with a weaker storm system moving into the region on Friday and then a colder, stronger system slated to arrive by the weekend, according to forecasts. That is expected to bring snow to the higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada ridges, with some wind gusts hitting 70 to 80 mph and intense snow and showers slated to arrive by late Saturday.
“The system on Friday doesn’t look too impressive,” meteorologist Tyler Salas with the National Weather Service in Reno said. “As far as the snowpack is concerned, we’re running behind on the snowfall totals for this year. The storm that’s expected to arrive by Saturday will contribute something. We’ll take anything we can get.”
Closer to the coast, a storm system is expected to arrive Wednesday and bring strong, cold winds. The surf will increase overnight, bringing the risk of strong rip currents. The Central Coast is expected to record 10-to-15-foot waves, possibly reaching 18 feet, and Ventura County could receive 7-to-12-foot waves. Los Angeles County is forecast to see 5-to-10-foot waves, with the largest surf on west- and northwest-facing beaches.
The latest storm comes only days after huge swells and high tides wreaked havoc on the coast, making cleanup difficult for beachside residents.
The forecast for Los Angeles County shows little to no rain activity for the weekend, with forecasts predicting less than a tenth of an inch if the storms bring any rain at all.
“The main concern will be focused on strong winds and not really any precipitation,” meteorologist Ariel Cohen with the National Weather Service in Oxnard said.
A wind advisory will likely follow after a winter storm advisory expires at 6 p.m. for Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
Times staff writer Hayley Smith contributed to this report.
