Pacific system to sweep west, bringing heavy snow, soaking rain and strong winds to California, Rockies

A Pacific storm system is bringing coastal rain, storms and mountain snow as it pushes across the Great Basin and Intermountain West.

Widespread low-elevation rain and heavy mountain snow are expected as moisture streams in off the Pacific, with the heaviest snow accumulations focused across the higher terrain of the Sierra Nevada and Northern Rockies.

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While the initial passage may feature scattered activity, a secondary wave is expected to increase rain coverage across northern and central California into early Tuesday. This will result in persistent cloud cover and some travel impacts near high mountain passes where snow levels will begin to drop.

Throughout Wednesday, an additional 1-2+ inches of rain is possible from Redding, California down into the central foothills of the Sierra. 

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Wind alerts have been issued across most of the Great Basin, including portions of Nevada, western Utah and California, with gusts expected to reach up to 60 mph. These alerts are in place through Tuesday.

In the higher terrain, Winter Storm Warnings are in place with heavy snow expected above 7,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada. Snow totals through Wednesday will be over 1-2 feet in the higher terrain. 

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The same storm will push into the northern High Plains and northern Rockies by Wednesday and Thursday and will continue to strengthen. This will result in a period of high winds across much of the northern Plains, with gusts likely exceeding 50-60 mph as the pressure gradient tightens.

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On the backside of this system, snow is expected to develop across the higher elevations of the northern Rockies and extend into portions of the northern Plains where cold air gets pulled into the circulation. Some heavy snow showers could possibly reach into the lower elevations of the Dakotas by Thursday night.