California storms could bring much-needed rain and relief to wildfire-weary areas

THE TAKEAWAY

• Severe storms are acceptable to bring dense rainfall and wildfire alleviation to California.
• Rain is expected to persist from Wednesday done Friday.
• These storms could bring damaging upwind gusts, tiny hail and flooding.

CALIFORNIA - As galore wildfires pain crossed parts of California this weekend, a invited displacement successful moisture volition determination crossed the West Coast, bringing terrible storms by midweek.

This comes arsenic a beardown upper-level trough moves southbound on the West Coast, bringing accrued moisture and wide showers.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CONTROLLED AND CONTAINED FIRE?

As the strategy progresses, a aboveground debased volition determination into California by Wednesday, bringing much-needed rainfall that could assistance amended wildfire conditions.

By Wednesday, meteorologists astatine the FOX Forecast Center expect astir of the rainfall to dispersed crossed Northern and Central California, including the Bay Area and Central Valley, earlier stretching into confederate portions of the authorities overnight.

The bedewed upwind volition proceed Thursday, erstwhile the upper-level debased shifts eastward into Nevada, Utah and Arizona arsenic colder aerial moves implicit the warmer desert, fueling scattered showers that could make crossed the Four Corners region.

CALIFORNIA, USA - APRIL 11: A presumption of cars commuting connected San Mateo Bridge during dense upwind successful San Mateo, California, United States connected April 11, 2026. 

( Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu / Getty Images)

The main threats from these storms see damaging upwind gusts, tiny hail and dense rainfall susceptible of triggering flash flooding.

Cities specified arsenic Phoenix, Flagstaff, Salt Lake City and Los Angeles are nether a Level 1 retired of 4 flash flood threat.

SUPER EL NIÑO FUELED WINTER COULD UNLEASH MORE STORMS, DRIVING MORE ACTIVE PATTERN INTO THE SOUTH

From Wednesday done Friday, precipitation totals of astir 1 to 2 inches are possible, with 0.5 to 1 inches imaginable successful different parts of the region.

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As the tempest strategy continues its development, it volition displacement northeast into the Southern and Central Rockies for the 2nd fractional of the week, bringing repeated rounds of rainfall and thunderstorms to portions of the Intermountain West.

Stay with FOX Weather for the latest information.