Potential Category 3 atmospheric river to hit Northern California
CBSN
Southern California is set to experience a drastic drop in temperatures on Monday while a powerful winter storm is expected to hit Northern California starting late Monday and bring several inches of rain and heavy winds.
An atmospheric river, or a weather system that moves high concentrations of water vapor outside of the tropics, could on Tuesday bring up 1 to 3 inches of rain to the coastal areas, with higher elevations receiving upward of 3 to 5 inches, the National Weather Service told CBS San Francisco. The atmospheric river could be as strong as a Category 3, with a scale that tops out a 5.
"Locally up to 7 inches are possible over favored peaks and higher terrain of the Sonoma Coastal Range where prolonged moderate to heavy precipitation and higher rain rates are currently forecast," the NWS told CBS San Francisco. "Last but not least, if that was not enough, there is a slight chance of thunder which has expanded southward to just around San Francisco. Not expecting much more than a rumble of thunder here and there."
