California to Get Much Needed Christmas Gift: Rain and Snow

(Bloomberg) -- Northern California is poised to be pounded by a series of rain and snow storms over the next week, snarling holiday travel but bringing much-needed precipitation to the drought-stricken region.

The Sierra Nevada Mountains will get 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 meters) of snow through Sunday, with some isolated areas getting as much as 10 feet, the National Weather Service said. Up to 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of rain could drench across the state’s Central Valley.

“We certainly need the snowpack, but timing-wise it is difficult because a lot of people will be traveling for the holiday,” said Eric Kurth, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Sacramento. 

Drought has gripped every inch of California for more than six months. While any precipitation helps, snow is especially critical because it will stay in the mountains until spring, then flow down to feed reservoirs used for drinking and agriculture. 

The approaching snow and rain are the latest in a series of storms to bring relief to Northern California. They come despite a weather-roiling La Nina in the Pacific, which often shift rain and snow away from California into the Pacific Northwest.

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