In some places, more than an inch of precipitation fell Friday in Northern California while other places, including Sacramento, saw only a fraction of that. Whatever came down in the first rains of the season were a mere drop in the bucket.
Cold weather is headed toward Northern California, with forecasters warning of severe weather in the Sierra Nevada as the first snow of the season touches down on the peaks, and frosty temperatures in the Sacramento Valley.
After a very warm and dry October for Northern California, some big changes are coming for the first weekend in November. Most of this week will be warm, sunny and dry with high temperatures well above the average of 70 degrees. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will see highs close to 80 degrees and remain rain-free.
Unseasonably warm weather is expected Wednesday and Thursday throughout San Diego County, then a cold front will arrive on Friday and bring a slight chance of rain in most of the region this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
Global climate experts are predicting a moderate to strong La Niña weather event this year, meaning a stormy season for most parts of the world but possibly drier-than-normal conditions in Southern California. A La Niña usually means a more active Atlantic hurricane season with potentially stronger storms.
The Los Angeles region will be warm, dry and breezy next week, with a significant cool-down next weekend, the National Weather Service said. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s temperature outlook favors below-normal temperatures for much of the West from Nov. 6 to 10.
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to forecasting climate patterns when there’s an El Niño or a La Niña pattern in place.
El Niño and La Niña patterns are part of the El Niño Southern Oscillation, which monitors sea-surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
When sea-surface temperatures in this region are above average, it’s called El Niño; when they are below average, it’s called La Niña.
We aren’t talking about major changes in water temperatures but typically more minor swings — usually on the order of plus or minus a degree Celsius — 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit — or less.
There are instances when water temperatures have been as much as eight degrees Fahrenheit above average — a very strong El Niño — but it’s not common.
San Diego researchers are getting a better understanding of the storm systems that bring the region most of its rain and they are getting that information the old fashion way — from weather balloons. Last March, gray rain-filled skies seemed to dip into the ocean as a storm moved across the region.
The rainfall looks bleak for the San Francisco Bay Area, putting the region on track for exceptionally dry start to rainy season, according to ABC7 News Meteorologist Mike Nicco.
Serious drought conditions continue in the Southwest, and while some beneficial rain and mountain snow are in the near-term forecast, the expectation of La Niña this winter could be bad news for the region.
