Parade of rainstorms expected for Fresno. When will they hit and how long will they last?

Winter weather is coming back this weekend.

It will be staying awhile.

Up to four storms are expected to hit the central San Joaquin Valley over the next seven days, according to the National Weather Service. The storms will bring cooler temperatures (goodbye Spring-like afternoons) and rain. This follows a near-record high temperature last Sunday and a destructive Mono wind storm in the Sierra earlier this week.

The first two storms are predicted in rapid succession, starting Friday evening though Saturday. Rain fall will be a tenth of an inch or less in the San Joaquin Valley and a quarter to a half inch in the mountains, the weather service says. Snow levels will be above 4,000 feet mostly, but could drop as low as 3,000 feet by Saturday morning.

If so, expect icy and snow-covered roads.

By Sunday evening a third storm — colder and wetter — will be on its way, settling over the area through Tuesday. Rain totals are expected to be as much as a half inch in the San Joaquin Valley, with snow levels dropping to 2,000 feet by Tuesday morning.

Foothill residents should see an accumulation of snow, with more than a foot of new snow likely in the Sierra above 7,000 feet.

Prediction models have a final storm passing through Central California for a couple days starting next Wednesday, though it is not expected to be as wet or cold.

The storms will pass through areas affected by the wildfires this summer, but should be cold enough to mitigate any threat of flooding with snow, the weather service says.

The rain should be welcomed following a dry 2020. Fresno experienced 6.17 inches of rainfall for the year — the lowest total since 2013.