Storms to resume in California with drenching rain, heavy mountain snow next week

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The ongoing train of storms over the Pacific Ocean will shift southward and return drenching rain and heavy snow to California next week.

The change in the weather pattern will likely snap a dry spell, which will have lasted about two weeks by the time the rain and snow returns.

A bit of rain and high country snow will fall on the Northwest, including northernmost California this weekend.

The rain should stay north of Southern California through the weekend, resulting in dry conditions for the LA Marathon on Sunday.

The significant storm with heavy rain and mountain snow for much of Central and Northern California will not arrive until late Monday.

As the storm train gets going, expect an uptick in travel delays which can then evolve into a renewed threat for flash flooding and mudslides.

"Look for heavy rain in the low elevations and snow in the higher elevations across Central and Northern California and western Oregon from the first storm late Monday to Wednesday," according to AccuWeather Lead Storm Warning Meteorologist Eddie Walker.

Motorists will encounter wintry travel and possible road closures over Interstate 80 over Donner Pass, California, prior to the middle of the week.

"From late Monday to Wednesday, rainfall in excess of 3 inches and snowfall above 6,000 feet can top 12 inches," Walker said.

By the middle of next week, spotty showers may dip into coastal areas of Southern California.

Additional rounds of rain and mountain snow will follow in Central and Northern California with spotty showers in Southern California late in the week through the following weekend.

Since December, rainfall has been one and a half to two times that of average in much of California.

The five-month period from October through February was the wettest in California since records began in 1895, according to the Western Regional Climate Center.

At some of the ski resorts in the Sierra Nevada, snow will remain on the slopes into the summer. Snowcover in the Sierra Nevada is currently 150 to 180 percent of average.

The rain and snow have eliminated the drought over much of the state this winter.

Following the wet winter in much of California, a short-term dry spell began during the first week in March. The last rain that fell on San Francisco and Sacramento, California, was on March 6. Very spotty rain fell on the Los Angeles and San Diego areas on March 5.

The gap in the rainfall has allowed small streams to return to normal and officials to lower some reservoir levels.

Rainfall typically diminishes from March through May over the state.

The anticipated rain and mountain snow next week will add to the surplus of precipitation.