Hydrometeorological Discussion National Weather Service / California-Nevada RFC / Sacramento CA 715 AM PDT Fri Sep 4 2026 ...LINGERING SCATTERED SHOWERS TODAY AS A COLD FRONT AND UPPER LOW MOVE THROUGH... ...SHOWERS POSSIBLE FOR SOUTHERN CA/NV AND THE NORTHERN REGIONAL BORDER SUNDAY... .METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (FRI AM - THU AM)... An upper low is slowly making its way into the PacNW as a cold front continues to traverse southern CA stretching offshore south of Point Conception and up through into central NV. The moisture that was ahead of this front continues to weaken diminishing precip chances for southern CA compared to what nrn CA saw yesterday. Observations overnight reported 1-1.50+" over the northern/central Sierra and 0.25-1" scattered across the Bay Area and the Smith Basin. 12z morning sounds across the region now show PW values below 1". A weak surface trough offshore of nrn CA and the PacNW in combination with the upper low is generating some showers along the north coast while the larger main frontal system produces showers over parts of the northern Sierra and into NV north of I-80. Expecting showers to linger over these areas the rest of today maybe producing up to another 0.50" for some areas, but generally 0.10" or less for most. As for the weekend, the upper low will continue to meander around the PacNW keeping below normal temperatures in the forecast. Moisture from Hurricane Marie is still expected to move into srn CA/NV on Sunday resulting in some precip. There is still uncertainty on the amounts, models are showing potential for a narrow corridor of more moderate precip stretching from LA to srn NV as this moisture moves through. The GEFS ensembles maintain generally less than 0.25" for Sunday over LA while the ECMWF has at least a few members exceeding 1". For now it looks like yesterday's forecast of a few hundredths to 0.33" remains the most likely, though a few locations may reach 0.50". Additionally, the low moving through OR may generate some showers over the northern regional border on Sunday as well with similar amounts predicted. The PacNW low is still on track for the northern Rockies early next week as another system moves in from the northwest. Uncertainty remains on how close the low will be to the coast and its strength. Models at this time also show the remnants of Marie moving northward offshore. The det GFS and ECMWF have this system merging with the other upper low around mid-week keeping both far enough offshore to prevent much if any precip over CA/NV. However, some ensemble members do have what's left of Marie moving into either southern or central CA sometime Tuesday or Wednesday. The ECMWF members have the highest precip totals with the spread anywhere from 0 to 4" over LA while the GEFS is limited to under an inch. Either way, enough ensembles show this trajectory that more widespread showers have shown up in the latest NBM. For now, have kept Tuesday mostly dry and gone with WPC for Wednesday showing less than 0.10" for central/southern CA and up to 0.50" for parts of the southern Sierra. Uncertain at this time on timing/location/amounts of precip for mid next week as this will depend on the tracks of Marie and the next upper low. 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. |