Another atmospheric river will arrive in the Fresno area. Will snow levels drop?
After days of sunny weather, two storm systems are set to roll in, including another atmospheric river.
The National Weather Service said the central San Joaquin Valley would see sunshine and highs in the 70s Saturday before more rain beginning Sunday.
The mountains from northeast part of Mariposa County south to Lodgepole in Sequoia National Park are expected to see up to a half-inch of rain then. Tioga Pass in Yosemite National Park and Mammoth Lakes on the east side of the Sierra could see a few inches of snow, meteorologist Antoinette Serrato said.
The Fresno area is expected to cool Sunday and there is a 30% chance of rain Sunday night.
On Monday, another atmospheric river is forecast to begin that will last until Wednesday and will bring more flooding concerns that have hit different parts of the area that include levee breaks in Tulare County.
Unlike the last atmospheric river where snow was confined to the higher elevations, snow levels will drop each day with the next storm.
Monday snow levels will begin in the morning at 5,500 feet before dropping to 3,000 feet on Wednesday.
Shaver Lake could see 4 inches of snow, while Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park and Lodgepole could see 5 inches of snow.
Serrato said that mountain rain totals in the Sierra Nevada could be in the range of 4 to 6 inches, and the foothills could see 1 to 3 inches of rain.
The Fresno area is expected to see 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches of rain.
The storm should clear out by Thursday before another system “looks to clip us over the weekend,” Serrato said.
This story was originally published March 18, 2023 at 6:57 AM.
