Next Pineapple Express visit on the way

California, and much of the West for that matter, just received a whopper of a storm powered by the atmospheric river known as the Pineapple Express. This train of moisture makes multiple visits a year and the next one is this weekend into the first half of next week.

A deep low-pressure trough is sliding into the western U.S. this weekend. Tapping into the abundant moisture being provided by this next stream of the Pineapple Express – it’s called that due to its origin out of the Hawaiian latitudes where pineapples are grown – heavy rainfall and mountain snow are in the forecast again.

The heavy rain starts Saturday afternoon as a firehose aims directly into the southern half of California. Already, as much as a moderate risk – a level three out of four – has been issued ahead of the flooding rainfall.

Flooding is more likely due to the intense storm we saw in the middle of this week. The ground will still likely be saturated and therefore any new rainfall we see here will not be soaked in quickly enough leading to runoff, puddling, and flash flooding.

If you saw your area not handle one to two inches of rainfall on Thursday, this next storm will bring either similar or worse results. These flooding threats last through Tuesday and Wednesday as well, so keep a close eye on the WeatherRadar and have your alerts switched on.

It’s not a surprise that flood watches have already been issued.

Now for the snowy side of things. The storm that brought more than 3 feet of snow to the Sierras this week had semi-trucks with chains slipping and sliding. Much of the same is expected with this next system and travelers should monitor things carefully. Driving through the mountain passes will be dangerous at times.

Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories have been issued. The National Weather Service is expecting major impacts Sunday morning into Monday morning, with moderate impacts lasting through Tuesday morning.

Snow totals could range anywhere from 3 to 9 feet along the entire Sierra spine, with the most piling up in the southern Sierras by late night on Monday.

Weather & Radar meteorologists will be keeping you updated with the latest details for this next powerful storm system. Check in frequently for the latest.