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Hydrometeorological Discussion
National Weather Service / California Nevada RFC / Sacramento CA
1250 PM PST Wed Jan 7 2026

...NEXT SYSTEM ARRIVES FROM THE NORTHWEST THIS AFTERNOON INTO THU...
...DRY CONDITIONS FRIDAY INTO NEXT WEEK...

.METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (WED PM - TUE AM)...

Minimal changes for the afternoon forecast update. The s/wv trof to 
the south is currently crossing northern Baja before ejecting 
northeast across the central/southern Plains on Thursday. Much of 
the precip associated with this feature is out ahead of the upr trof 
axis spreading across portions of southern AZ and northwest Mexico. 
There are a few showers in the northwest flow on the backside of the 
system...which are mainly impacting San Diego county with a couple 
hundredths of an inch. 

Back to the north...a s/wv trof approaching the Pacific Northwest is 
beginning to spread precip down to the southern OR Cascades and far 
northwest CA. As the system moves inland and digs to the southeast 
across the Sierra...look for precip to pick up with the best totals 
along the coast from Cape Mendocino northward (0.25- to 0.75-inch 
local to 1.00-inch) and then inland over the southern Cascades and 
the length of the Sierra (best totals near Crater Lake and around 
the Tahoe basin). Given the trajectory of the system...there should 
also be some light to locally moderate precip across the state of 
NV...especially on northwest facing slopes as the mid-level flow 
turns this direction and enhances upslope precip.

After this system exits the lower Colorado River basin on 
Thursday...high pressure will be the rule with dry conditions 
setting up for the upcoming weekend and next week. The Climate 
Prediction Center continues to point to a higher likelihood of below 
normal precip and above normal temperatures for the 8-to-14 day 
period...which encompasses Jan 15-21. However...with the potential 
for valley inversions to develop...fog and low clouds more limit 
daytime heating under calm winds.