Another 'Pineapple Express' storm rolls in: When will it rain in Coachella Valley?
A powerful winter storm that is threatening to inundate Southern California for days is expected to start dropping rain throughout the Coachella Valley late Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service.
Most valley residents woke to a gray Sunday as clouds began to sweep in from a major "Pineapple Express" storm already beginning to hit the San Bernardino County mountains and some coastal cities. While there is a slight chance of rain throughout the day, showers are likely in the desert after 11 p.m.
"Palm Springs will start to see the action later tonight," said Adam Roser, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "The heaviest precipitation in the area is expected Monday into Tuesday."
About a quarter- to a half-inch of rain is expected in the western part of the valley throughout Monday. The same is expected Tuesday. Chances of rain lessen by Wednesday but intermittent showers could occur through the end of the week.
Riverside County officials on Sunday urged residents in and around the unincorporated Thousand Palms area to prepare to deal with excess runoff, mud and debris flows.
While the heaviest rains in the low and high desert are expected late Monday through Tuesday, thel;. surrounding mountains will be hit earlier, with heavy rain likely beginning Sunday night, and heavy snows expected Monday night. The west valley is expected to receive between an inch and an 1.5 inches of rain total from Sunday through Tuesday, the east about three-quarters of an inch. Mount San Jacinto is expected to receive up to 3 feet of snow and San Gorgonio a little more.
The storm is expected to hit cities to the north and west of the desert particularly hard through the rest of the weekend and into Tuesday. The National Weather Service Los Angeles issued storm warnings with 3-6 inches of rain expected for coastal cities and up to a foot in the nearby foothills and mountains. Evacuations were ordered in some parts of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, due to a high risk of flash flooding in certain places.
What makes the storm particularly threatening is how large of an area and share of the residents of the state it will impact. Meteorologists with AccuWeather estimate some 94% of California's population will be at risk for flooding, USA Today reported. This after the region had experienced serious flooding last week when a similar atmospheric river swept through.
This is a developing story.
Contributing: City News Service.
Christopher Damien covers public safety and the criminal justice system. He can be reached at christopher.damien@desertsun.com or follow him at @chris_a_damien.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 'Pineapple Express' storm rolls in: When will it rain in Palm Springs area?
