Thunderstorms expected to rattle Northern California this weekend
Noe PadillaA wave of thunderstorms and severe weather conditions is set to hit Northern California this week, according to the National Weather Service.
Residents living within the San Joaquin Valley into the Northern Sacramento Valley should expect to experience sporadic chances for thunderstorms, brief but heavy rain, erratic winds, hail up to "an inch in diameter," and a small chance of "weak tornadoes," according to NWS meteorologist Sara Purdue.
The severe weather conditions stem from low-pressure systems moving in from the California coastline with "the energy that it is bringing ahead of it, causing all of this convective potential energy," according to Purdue.
Additionally, residents living along the Sierra Nevada mountain range should expect moderate to heavy snowfall over the weekend. The forecast indicates that certain regions along the Sierra Nevada could receive up to 4 feet of snow and wind gusts as high as 45 mph, according to the NWS.
The National Weather Service recommends that anyone planning to travel over the weekend should check road conditions before leaving home, as roads may be closed or slick due to the weather. For residents traveling through the mountains, NWS recommends drivers pack snow chains as a precaution.
"If you find yourself outside and you see lightning or hear thunder, it's recommended you get inside or find a sheltered area as soon as possible," Purdue said.
Weather impacts of El Niño
The inclement weather arrives as federal scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that weather conditions are likely to change in the coming year — the La Niña climate pattern has officially ended and an El Niño is set to develop later this year.
This has major implications for weather worldwide, and could impact the hurricane season in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Specifically, El Niño’s effects can differ depending on location, according to the Climate Prediction Center.
For example, the West Coast, particularly California, faces a higher likelihood of heavy rainfall and flooding during a strong El Niño. Warmer ocean waters can fuel more intense storm systems that bring prolonged rain, raising concerns about landslides, river flooding and other weather-related impacts.
Scientists are concerned that this year's El Niño may be significantly stronger than any previously recorded climate pattern.
Although there’s no formal NOAA El Niño category called "Super," the term is often used to refer to unusually strong warming of sea surface temperatures across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, according to Colorado State University hurricane expert Phil Klotzbach. That warming can disrupt global weather patterns, shifting storm tracks, rainfall and temperatures for months at a time.
"Right now, there's about a 15% chance of a Super El Niño by the end of this hurricane season [Nov. 30], which we've only seen once since the year 2000," said AccuWeather meteorologist Alex DaSilva, in an email to USA TODAY.
In the meantime, the planet is in an intermediate stage of the cycle, known as "ENSO-neutral."
In a report released Thursday, April 9, NOAA scientists said that by May-July 2026, El Niño is likely to emerge (61% chance) and persist through at least the end of 2026.
"The possible outcomes range from ENSO-neutral to a very strong El Niño during the upcoming Northern Hemisphere winter," NOAA scientists said in the report. "The possibility of a very strong El Niño largely depends on the continuation of westerly wind anomalies across the equatorial Pacific throughout the Northern Hemisphere summer months, which is not assured."
Contributing: Doyle Rice, Brandi D. Addison and Kimberly Miller, USA TODAY
Noe Padilla is a Northern California Reporter for USA Today. Contact him at [email protected], follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social. Sign up for the TODAY Californian newsletter or follow us on Facebook at TODAY Californian.