097  
AGUS76 KRSA 191429  
HMDRSA  
 
HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE / CALIFORNIA NEVADA RFC / SACRAMENTO CA  
730 AM PDT FRI APR 19 2024  
 
...WARM AND GENERALLY DRY INTO MONDAY ASIDE FROM ISOLATED  
SHOWERS/TSTORMS FOR THE CNTRL/SRN SIERRA THIS AFTN/EVE...  
...CHANCE OF PRECIP MID TO LATE WEEK AS A LOW APPROACHES THE CA  
COAST...  
   
METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (FRI AM - THU AM)
 
 
GENERALLY DRY CONDITIONS ACROSS THE REGION TODAY AS A RIDGE PASSES  
ACROSS THE WEST COAST. AN EMBEDDED SHORTWAVE MOVING THROUGH SOCAL  
LATER TODAY MAY RESULT IN SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS OVER  
THE CENTRAL/SOUTHERN SIERRA IN THE AFTERNOON/EVENING. DRY CONDITIONS  
WILL PERSIST INTO THE WEEKEND AS THE AREA REMAINS UNDER HIGH  
PRESSURE. A SURFACE LOW AND UPPER TROUGH WILL APPROACH THE PACNW  
SATURDAY FROM THE GULF OF ALASKA BEFORE MOVING THROUGH WA IN THE  
AFTERNOON/EVENING. A FEW STRAY SHOWERS MAY REACH THE CA BORDER, BUT  
OTHERWISE PRECIP IS FORECAST TO REMAIN FAR TO THE NORTH. BEHIND THAT  
LOW, HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE INTO THE EASTERN PACIFIC CENTERED WEST  
OF THE PACNW FOR SUNDAY. THIS WILL KEEP THE AREA DRY THE REST OF THE  
WEEKEND AND THROUGH MONDAY.  
 
UNCERTAINTY GROWS AS WE GET DEEPER INTO NEXT WEEK DUE TO MODEL  
DIFFERENCES. THE GFS/ECMWF GENERALLY AGREE THAT TWO LOWS WILL  
APPROACH ON TUESDAY, ONE OFFSHORE OF BC COMING FROM THE GULF OF  
ALASKA AND ANOTHER APPROACHING FROM WEST OF CA. THE MODELS HAVE  
THESE SYSTEMS IN DIFFERENT POSITIONS RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER AS WELL  
AS DIFFERENCES IN TIMING. THE ECMWF HAS THE NORTHERN LOW REACHING  
THE BC COAST TUESDAY AFTERNOON WHILE THE GFS HAS THE SAME LOW JUST A  
BIT FURTHER OFFSHORE AND CLOSER TO WA/OR. IN SPITE OF THESE  
DIFFERENCES, BOTH MODELS ARE PREDICTING SOME LIGHT SHOWERS ACROSS  
NRN CA/NV FOR TUESDAY. THE OTHER DIFFERENCE COMES WITH THE LOW WEST  
OF CA. BOTH MODELS HAVE THE LOW SHIFTING TO THE SOUTH TOWARDS SOCAL  
ON TUESDAY, BUT THE GFS SPEEDS UP THE SYSTEMS ARRIVAL ACROSS COASTAL  
SOCAL TO MID WEDS MORNING WHILE THE ECMWF STILL HAS IT MUCH FURTHER  
OUT TO SEA. IN FACT, THE ECMWF DOES NOT HAVE THE LOW ARRIVING UNTIL  
THURSDAY MORNING WHILE THE GFS ALREADY CARRIES THE NOW OPEN TROUGH  
INTO AZ WITH ANOTHER SYSTEM DROPPING IN FROM THE NW. THE CMC IS ON  
THE SLOWER SIDE AS WELL MORE IN LINE WITH THE ECMWF, BUT STILL WITH  
SOME DIFFERENCES. LOOKING AT THE ENSEMBLES, TIMING VARIES FROM  
TUESDAY TO THURSDAY ON THE ARRIVAL OF PRECIP FROM THE SOUTHERN MOST  
LOW. EITHER WAY, THIS SYSTEM IS NOT EXPECTED TO PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT  
AMOUNTS OF PRECIPITATION. WILL KEEP AN EYE ON THE MODELS OVER THE  
WEEKEND AND HOPEFULLY THEY WILL COME INTO BETTER AGREEMENT.  
 
AS FOR TEMPERATURES, EXPECTING AFTERNOON HIGHS TO BE 5-15 DEG F  
ABOVE NORMAL AWAY FROM THE COAST THROUGH MONDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL  
THEN LOWER FROM WEST TO EAST EARLY TO MID WEEK AS THE LOW  
APPROACHES. TIMING OF THE COOL DOWN WILL DEPEND ON WHEN THE LOW  
ARRIVES, BUT WHEN IT DOES EXPECTING AFTERNOON HIGHS DOWN TO 5-10 DEG  
F BELOW NORMAL FOR MOST OF CA. FREEZING LEVELS 8-12 KFT N TO S  
THROUGH SAT AM RISING TO 8.5-13 KFT SAT AFTERNOON WITH HIGHER  
FREEZING LEVELS SPREADING NORTHWARD THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE  
WEEKEND. FREEZING LEVELS TO THEN LOWER MID WEEK DOWN TO 7-10.5 KFT  
THEN 6-10 KFT DEPENDING AGAIN ON THE TIMING OF THE NEXT LOW.  
 
QPF GRAPHICS ARE AVAILABLE AT WWW.CNRFC.NOAA.GOV/QPF.PHP  
 
AS  
 

 
 
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