All aboard the Pineapple Express this week in California as some coastal ranges could see up to 8 inches of rain before the end of the week, and Los Angeles and San Diego could be in for more monumental flooding.
The Pineapple Express is an atmospheric river that sets up a fire hose of moisture starting near Hawaii and blasts the West Coast. That atmospheric river can carry up to 27 times the amount of water carried by the Mississippi River, which is the equivalent of up to 10 to 15 inches of rain.
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“That jet stream is going to be oriented right from west to east, and that means very warm air and a lot of Pacific juice coming right across parts of California into northern New Mexico,” explained Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen. “Look at the track of this, too. We see that fetch coming all the way from Hawaii, and that’s going to stretch through the Pacific and into lower parts of California.”
Early this week, moisture from the Pineapple Express will branch north and soak Washington and Oregon. The system is warm, so forecasters in the area don’t expect snow. The NWS in Seattle calls for the possibility of record warmth through Tuesday.
Any rain will add to the already saturated ground the area has previously seen, so river levels will be on the rise, and some flooding is possible, along with a landslide risk.
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“The good news here is it’s going to be strong, it’s going to be heavy at times, but it’s going to be transient, it’s going to be moving pretty quickly. So it’s not going to be at the same spot for a long period,” said Van Dillen.
“But even with that, look how much rain we’re looking at across Northern California, essentially starting on Wednesday,” he continued. “That orange-shaded area is 3 to 5 inches of rain (in the Bay Area) in northern California, up here, it’s about 5 to 8 inches of rain.”
Above pass level, the Sierra Nevada could see 1 to 3 feet of new snow.
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“So that Pacific jet, it’s going to be energized, and it’s coming in again Wednesday through Friday.”
The third and strongest of a series of three atmospheric river storms makes landfall Tuesday in British Columbia and pushes south. River flooding in the coastal Pacific Northwest is possible.
“(We have) rain already across Oregon now starting to get into California,” said Van Dillen. “That’s Tuesday evening.”
“Wednesday morning into Wednesday afternoon, the rain starts stretching through the northern sections of California, and higher elevations get a little bit of snowfall,” Van Dillen said.
Flash flooding is likely north of the San Francisco Bay Area where the heaviest rain is forecast to fall.
“And then Wednesday afternoon into Thursday, it really comes on strong and moves right down through lower parts of California,” said Van Dillen. “Look at LA, San Diego. You’re in it to win it again with more rain, but not as heavy as what we had last week. That’s the good news.”
Still, coastal Southern California is at risk for flooding, especially along rivers.
The heaviest rain moves through Los Angeles and San Diego counties by late Friday. It makes its way through Arizona and even New Mexico into the weekend.
“The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) has already indicated a moderate risk for heavy precipitation, heavy snow, and high winds for regions in the Western US and possible flooding along the California coast and in Arizona for Feb 2 through Feb 5,” wrote the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes.
“Snow, it’s coming in and that could be pretty decent for higher elevations, Sierra Nevada range all the way through the four corners and northern Nevada,” Van Dillen said.
Original article source: Pineapple Express headed for California with flooding, wind, snow expected this week
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