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Hydrometeorological Discussion
National Weather Service / California Nevada RFC / Sacramento CA
710 AM PDT Wed Apr 22 2026

...LINGERING SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE T-STORMS TODAY...
...MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS FOR THURS/FRI BEFORE SHOWERS RETURN FOR THE 
WEEKEND...

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

Yesterday's low has opened into a broad upper trough that is 
currently making its way through the PacNW and nrn CA/NV. Radar 
imagery shows an area of showers near the base of the trough from SF 
through the I-80 corridor heading into the nrn Sierra. This area 
will be the main focus of precip the rest of today while scattered 
showers and isolated thunderstorms remain possible elsewhere as well 
across nrn/cntrl CA/NV as the trough progresses further inland. 
Conditions expected to dry out for Thursday/Friday in between 
systems. Troughing will develop offshore on Friday before moving 
into central CA over the weekend. This system is expected to 
generate scattered showers over much of the region throughout the 
weekend. Another trough then looks to drop in from the PacNW on 
Monday bringing additional shower activity to parts of CA/NV as yet 
another trough approaches from the southwest. So far, none of these 
systems look particularly intense precip wise. Bottom line, an 
active pattern continues throughout the forecast period as a series 
of troughs move in. Longer range outlooks from CPC continue to 
predict above normal precipitation into the first week of May.

The forecast mainly made use of WPC guidance, but blended in the 12z 
HRRR for the rest of today to capture some of the convective 
activity. Expecting another 0.10-0.75" the rest of today from the 
Bay Area through I-80 to the nrn/central Sierra with locally higher 
amounts under thunderstorms. For the weekend into early next week, 
expecting 0.10-0.75" across the Sierra, Shasta, and 
central/southern/eastern NV. Maybe a few hundredths of an inch or so 
for parts of coastal srn CA. 

Freezing levels starting today at 5-7 kft north of I-80 rising the 
rest of today and tonight up to 6-9 kft. Later Thursday, levels back 
up to above 10 kft across CA gradually lowering over the weekend 
down to 5-8 kft state wide by early Sunday. The presence of 
troughing should keep levels from rising more than another 1 kft or 
so away from srn CA.


Please Note: This product may NOT be routinely updated.
Please refer to the following product issued by the CNRFC
www.cnrfc.noaa.gov/Daily-Briefing for a graphical summary of
weather and hydrologic conditions.