Problems to continue in Southern California as Easter rainstorm winds down

Even as a major storm winds down on Easter Sunday over Southern California, problems from additional rain and runoff will continue. The storm has deposited heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada and Arizona mountains.

A slow-moving and potent storm will continue to grab Pacific Ocean moisture and fling it at Southern California in the form of gusty thunderstorms into Easter Sunday, and AccuWeather meteorologists warn that enough rain will fall to increase the risk of flash flooding, mudslides and other debris flows.

Rain totaling 1-3 inches fell across the greater Los Angeles and San Diego areas into Easter Sunday morning with rainfall of 5-7 inches on parts of the Transverse Ranges to the north of Los Angeles. While the worst of the rain is over, additional showers and thunderstorms into Easter Sunday evening can easily trigger localized flash flooding, mudslides and other debris flows on area roads.

The wet weather may lead to delays of the Major League Baseball game versus San Francisco in San Diego Sunday afternoon.

Forecasters urge motorists to allow extra time and be prepared to seek an alternative route.

Spotty thunderstorms will also pack a punch in parts of California, with the risk of some of the strongest storms bringing hail and strong wind gusts during the afternoon and evening. The setup with the storm system could produce a couple of waterspouts along the coast. Spotty downpours will also spill to the east of the Coast Ranges and onto the deserts in Southern California.

In the Southern California mountains, just rain is expected to fall on the major passes, including along Interstates 5 and 15. However, the ridges and peaks are likely due to snow showers continuing, leading to additional accumulation.

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Farther north, heavy snow that pounded the Sierra Nevada to end the week and kick off the weekend will wind down on Easter Sunday. Snowfall since late last week through Easter Sunday morning in the Sierra Nevada range from 6-18 inches with about of foot of snow falling on the Lake Tahoe and Donner Pass areas of California. Motorists can expect slow travel along I-80 through the Sierra Nevada.

Farther to the east, the storm was unloading heavy snow on the Arizona mountains. Close to a foot of snow is forecast to fall on the Flagstaff, Arizona, area with slow travel along I-17 and I-40 in the region.

From July 1 to March 30, Los Angeles International Airport has received 21.56 inches of rain, compared to a historical average of 11.33 inches or 190% of the historical average. Downtown Los Angeles has picked up 24.18 inches of rain since the start of July. Rainfall in the San Diego area has been well above the historical average as well, with 13.74 inches compared to 8.87 inches at the airport. Rainfall has been close to the historical average in San Francisco, with 18.47 inches of rain since July 1.

The weekend rain and Sierra Nevada snowstorm have bolstered reservoir levels and the snowpack from beyond last week's levels (below).

Because of the state of reservoirs and the amount of water locked up in the Sierra snow, AccuWeather experts do not anticipate water shortage problems in California into the spring of 2026, even if lean precipitation occurs during the upcoming winters of 2024-2025 and 2025-2026. There can still be episodes of soil drought and wildfire concerns due to dry vegetation.

AccuWeather meteorologists are tracking additional storms over the Pacific, which are likely to dip southward along the West Coast. At this time, the bulk of the rain from the storms may stay to the north of Los Angeles and San Diego while rounds of drenching rain (and thunderstorms) may affect San Francisco and Sacramento, as well as more snow for much of the Sierra Nevada, during the first week and weekend of April.

Energy from the storm in Southern California this past weekend will swing toward the central United States early this week and could initiate a significant amount of severe weather and tornadoes.