Californians Bracing for Heavy Snow Amid 'Very Cold' May Storm

Northern California can expect up to 2 feet of snow, despite May's arrival, as a "very cold" storm system arrives in the region this weekend.

California's snowpack recovered earlier this year after several storms hit the state. At the start of the year, levels were much lower than expected. A series of atmospheric rivers have since brought torrential rain and heavy snowfall to the state, and the snowpack was above average by the time it began melting in April. However, despite being more than a month into spring, more snow is on the way to California and could serve as beneficial in delaying the state's wildfire season.

Atmospheric rivers are likened to rivers in the sky, and when they make landfall, they cause torrential rain and sometimes snowfall.

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Extreme storm chaser Colin McCarthy shared a forecast for this weekend that anticipates more than a foot of snow falling in some parts of northern California.

"Winter doesn't want to go away in California. A very cold May system is going to deliver widespread rain across NorCal this Cinco De Mayo weekend and snow in the Sierra, with early indications that over 1+ foot could fall in the highest elevations," McCarthy posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday. "This will delay the start of wildfire season even further."

Rain will hit lower elevation areas, according to posts by National Weather Service (NWS) offices in Sacramento and the Bay Area.

"Rain returns on Saturday with up to 0.5" of rain in the coastal ranges and up to 0.2" of rain in the valleys," NWS Bay Area posted. "Then colder temperatures continue through the early part of next week."

NWS Weather Prediction Center meteorologist Bob Oravec told Newsweek that May is the start of California's dry season, and that late season snow will help delay wildfire season.

Much of the snow is expected to fall across the Sierra Nevada mountains, with some high-elevation areas receiving up to 24 inches, Oravec said.

California also experienced an abnormally wet winter last year due to atmospheric rivers hitting the state, and the excessive moisture aided the state once wildfire season began.

In August 2023, Newsweek published a chart that compared wildfire statistics over several years. Although more wildfires occurred in 2023 than in 2022, far fewer acres were burned.

Snow is expected to fall elsewhere in the U.S. this weekend as well.

"An upper trough anchored over the Northwest will support below-average temperatures across the region for the next few days. With cold air in place, an embedded shortwave impulse will contribute to high elevation snow across the Cascades and Northern Rockies," the NWS Weather Prediction Center said in a forecast report.

"Between 6-12 inches of snow is forecast to accumulate with isolated higher amounts most likely over northwestern Montana by Friday morning."