Major California storm with rain, mountain snow threatens to spoil Easter weekend

A storm will wring out inches of rain and feet of mountain snow on California from Friday to Easter Sunday. The storm will slow travel and threaten to spoil outdoor activities.

Perhaps the last major storm of the wet season for Southern California is on deck for the extended Easter weekend, AccuWeather meteorologists say. The storm will bring significant rain to much of the Golden State, with heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada.

"After this weekend, there will still be some storms moving forward well into April that will bring some rounds of drenching rain and locally heavy mountain snow to Northern California, and the tail end of these may bring some showers to Southern California," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok explained. "But this Easter weekend storm should be the last big one for the southern part of the state."

The upcoming storm is part of a one-two punch of systems from the Pacific. The first part will continue to cycle inland across the Northwest with areas of low-elevation rain and mountain snow through Thursday. Some rain and mountain snow will reach central portions of California from the first storm, but little, if any, is likely to dip as far south as Los Angeles.

The bulk of the rain from the first storm may depart for the start of the Major League Baseball season in Oakland, California, on Thursday evening, but it could still shower during the game.

Storm 2 will pack a punch this weekend

The second storm will spread precipitation across nearly the entire state with some of the heaviest rain drenching many central and southern locations.

"Wet weather will spread southward from Friday through the weekend as a strong storm slides southward just off the West Coast," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Heather Zehr said, adding, "This will be a big rainmaker for this late in the wet season."

Rain totals will average 0.50-1.00 inch from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Central Valley of California, with locally higher amounts in the higher terrain. The bulk of the rain in Central California will occur from Friday to Friday night, but periodic rain will continue during Saturday and Easter Sunday.

• Have the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+

"Southern California will get a thorough soaking as the heaviest rain comes through from Friday night into Saturday," Zehr said.

A general 1-2 inches of rain will fall in coastal areas of Southern California, but 2-4 inches of rain is likely to fall on the southern- and western-facing lower slopes of the Coast Ranges. The AccuWeather Local StormMax rainfall is 8 inches.

Enough rain will fall to cause water to pond on roads with flooding possible on streets, highways and poor-drainage areas, Zehr said. Motorists should expect delays and hazardous conditions as significant runoff on the hillsides can lead to rocks, mud and other debris on some roads.

Thunderstorms will rumble across the Golden State from Friday to Easter Sunday.

"Some of the storms over Central California will pack strong wind gusts on Friday," AccuWeather Storm Warning Meteorologist Joseph Bauer said. "There will also be a risk of waterspouts along the coast."

On Saturday, the gusty wind and waterspout risk will shift toward Southern California. There will also be the risk of small hail in the central part of the state. By Easter Sunday, the risk of thunderstorms will tend to diminish, but it is still possible for a couple of incidents of small hail in Southern California.

Snow to pile on in Sierra Nevada

This will be another significant snow event for the Sierra Nevada for the winter season of 2023-2024.

"Coming in right before the end of the month, Sierra Nevada will have one final chance to tally up additional snowpack before the unofficial end of the wet season," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.

As of March 27, the snow water equivalent, or the amount of water locked up within the snow cover, reached 101% of the historical average for April 1, the date that typically signals the end of the wet season. The snowpack was as much as 115% of the historical average across the northern Sierra, according to the California Department of Water Resources.

"Once this storm moves through, the snowpack and the stored water within will get a nice boost right at the end of the season," Buckingham said.

"Snow will come down hard in the Sierra Nevada, especially from Friday to Saturday, with a foot or two of snow above 6,000 feet," Zehr stated.

Farther south, the most likely time for the rain to become mixed with wet snow over the Southern California passes will be from Friday night to Saturday morning.

"Up to a foot of snow can also fall above 7,000 feet in Southern California," Zehr said.

Major League Baseball games from Oakland to Los Angeles and San Diego will be at risk for rain delays and possible postponements due to the persistence of the storm during the extended Easter weekend.

Because of the magnitudes of the storms over the past two rainy seasons with heavy Sierra Nevada snow, AccuWeather's team of meteorologists does not anticipate any water shortages in California into the start of the end of the wet season of 2026 -- or approximately two years from now. However, there can still be episodes of soil drought and dangers from wildfires during extended dry episodes.

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.