Quantitative Precipitation Forecast
Issued by NWS
Issued by NWS
758 FOUS11 KWBC 200815 QPFHSD Probabilistic Heavy Snow and Icing Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 315 AM EST Thu Nov 20 2025 Valid 12Z Thu Nov 20 2025 - 12Z Sun Nov 23 2025 ...Southern & Central Rockies... Day 1... An upper low over AZ this morning will take on an increasingly negative tilt over northern Mexico though weaken overnight as it mostly shears out to the east after 00Z. Snow will continue this morning over northern AZ/NM into UT/CO with relatively high snow levels >8000ft that will drop through the day. Some light snow will still persist into D2 (early Friday) as lingering convergence and upslope squeeze out another inch or two over the CO Rockies. WPC probabilities for at least four inches of snow after 12Z Thu are highest (>50%) over the highest peaks of the San Juans and the Sangre de Cristos (generally above 10,000ft). ...California... Days 1-2... A Pacific upper low will form early this morning just west of WA/OR and dive south-southeastward today through NorCal then to a position west of Los Angeles early Friday. With regions of vorticity rotating around the main center, bouts of snow will move through the CA terrain from the Trinity/Siskiyou mountains today then through the Sierra later this afternoon into Friday. Snow levels will be around 5000-6000ft this morning over NorCal and around 6000ft over the central/southern Sierra this evening and slowly drop overnight. Over SoCal, snow levels will be around 6500ft this afternoon and drop to around 6000ft overnight. The upper low will be in no hurry to exit the region, moving through northern Baja California Saturday evening. By then, most of the precipitation will be confined to the lower elevations and mostly rain (though snow may linger over the SoCal mountains). WPC probabilities for at least six inches of snow are >50% above about 9000ft over the Sierra. Across the San Gabriel and San Bernadino mountains, with a longer duration of precipitation through Friday, significant snowfall is quite probable. WPC probabilities for at least eight inches of snow are >50% above about 7000ft (around the elevation of Big Bear Lake). Three-day totals may exceed 12-18" above 9000ft. This could cause significant travel disruptions over these higher elevations. The probability of significant ice across the CONUS is less than 10 percent. Fracasso $$