Tropical Storm Rachel to soak the West coast with flooding rain

THE TAKEAWAY

• Tropical Storm Rachel’s moisture volition dispersed into Southern California and the Southwest this weekend.
• A Level 2 retired of 4 flash flood menace is imaginable Sunday, with up to 2 to 3 inches of rainfall forecast adjacent Las Vegas and Phoenix.
• Rachel’s moisture could besides substance upland snowfall crossed Montana, bluish Wyoming and the Sierra Nevada.

LOS ANGELES – Tropical Storm Rachel is weakening successful the Eastern Pacific, but its moisture plume could trigger flooding rain, upland snow and a uncommon late-season weather lawsuit crossed the West this weekend.

Tropical Storm Rachel is losing its tropical characteristics, but the storm’s moisture volition proceed spreading toward the West Coast and into the Southwest, raising the menace for dense rainfall and flash flooding.

According to the FOX Forecast Center, Rachel weakened somewhat Thursday aft being downgraded from a hurricane.

Although the tempest volition proceed to weaken done the weekend, its expansive moisture tract volition not simply disappear.

DO SANDBAGS ACTUALLY PREVENT FLOODING? WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE A BIG STORM

A wide dip successful the jet stream is expected to excavation crossed the occidental U.S. and West coast, dramatically shifting the steering winds and pushing Rachel’s moisture plume eastward crossed Southern California and into the Southwest.

Rain could statesman falling crossed portions of California and the Southwest arsenic aboriginal arsenic Saturday, but the flood menace is expected to summation Sunday.

A Level 2 retired of 4 flash flood menace is forecast crossed parts of the Southwest, including the larger metropolitan areas of Las Vegas and Phoenix.

WILL 2026 BE THE HOTTEST YEAR EVER?

Some locations successful the portion could person 2 to 3 inches of rain, with the imaginable for locally higher amounts.

Let's instrumentality a look astatine however prediction markets are analyzing rainfall successful Los Angeles to the extremity of October.

The moisture associated with Rachel volition besides bring rainfall to parts of Southern California, including Los Angeles and San Diego, offering alleviation from caller blistering heat.

Neither metropolis is presently included successful the higher-end flash flood threat, but dense rainfall could inactive make unsafe travel conditions and localized flooding.

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER

The FOX Forecast Center said the storm’s impacts volition widen good beyond Rachel’s halfway arsenic its remnants interact with the pitchy watercourse and dispersed moisture crossed the West.