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Hydrometeorological Discussion
National Weather Service / California Nevada RFC / Sacramento CA
110 PM PST Wed Jan 8 2025

...PRIMARILY DRY UNDER NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT...
...LIGHT PRECIP POSSIBLE FOR FAR NORTHERN AREAS ON FRIDAY...

.METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (SHORT TERM: WED PM - SAT AM)...

Virtually no change to the afternoon forecast issuance...as the only 
precip is associated with the trailing end of a system moving across 
BC and the Pacific Northwest on Friday before diving southeast 
toward the interior across the Rocky Mountains. Amounts still 
expected to be near or less than 0.10-inch from areas near the CA/OR 
border and far northern NV. Otherwise dry northerly flow aloft will 
continue with the region remaining void of precip.

Freezing levels will currently show a east-to-west gradient with 
5000- to 6000-feet across eastern areas and 11000- to 12000-feet 
along the northern/central CA coast. These will become more uniform 
across the area early Friday ahead of the system with 10000- to 
13000-feet (greatest southwest) and then fall with the system 
passing by mainly to the north...with northern/eastern areas lowest 
on Saturday morning from 3500- to 5500-feet and highest along 
coastal southern CA close to 12500-feet.


.METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (LONG TERM: SAT AM - TUE AM)...

Forecast remains on track with no changes since the morning 
issuance. Strong high pressure will persist over the eastern Pacific 
as a pair of troughs dig in from the PacNW over the weekend 
potentially dropping a shower or two over ne NV. Broad offshore flow 
will keep dry air overhead and result in virtually zero 
precipitation. The weekend troughs will keep lower freezing levels 
over ne CA and NV at 4-7 kft expanding across the Sierra by Sunday 
evening with levels 7-10.5 kft to the west. Higher freezing levels 
(9-10.5 kft) will fill back in from nw to se into Tuesday.