The coast is facing high wind warnings, with the potential for hurricane-force wind off the coast of Oregon. Much of Southwestern Oregon also has a wind advisory in place.
Higher elevations, above 4,000 feet, could see two to three feet of snow while elevations above 2,000 feet could see 5-12 inches. Meanwhile, the city of Mount Shasta could see up to a foot-and-a-half of snow.
Troy Nicolini, a meteorologist with the , said Humboldt County will be hit especially hard with intense rain.
"It's almost like if you blasted a fire hose at something and just held it in the same direction for a while. You'd be delivering a lot of water out of that hose. And that's kind of what you can imagine this atmospheric river is doing in this instance, and it's pointing right at Humboldt County," he said.
It鈥檚 likely there will be downed trees, power outages and difficult driving conditions throughout the region.
Connie Clarstrom, lead meteorologist with the , said residents should take measures to prepare for this storm.
"If you're in a hard hit area, for example, the coast or Mount Shasta region, preparation is key. What do you need in case of power outages?" she said. "Avoiding travel in these worst hit areas is the other important point for everyone who is in this region."
Active weather continues across northern California and southern Oregon this week and into the weekend. The most impactful conditions will be present Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday morning, with strong coastal winds and impactful snowfall in the Mount Shasta area.
— NWS Medford (@NWSMedford)
Heavy rain could also lead to flooding.
"We're going to see small streams coming out of the banks, and we're going to see the large rivers rising to significant stages at certain places," Nicolini said.
Meteorologists urge residents to avoid travel, prepare for power outages and stay away from tall trees.
If you must travel, the National Weather Service says to prepare for road closures and don't drive through flooded roads.
According to a press release from Pacific Gas and Electric Company on Tuesday, PG&E "has mobilized crews and resources in key regions to respond to potential storm-related damage and power outages and is opening its Emergency Operations Center in Vacaville to assist in the coordination of storm response and restoration efforts."
"We expect the first strong storm of the season to bring some much-needed relief after months of drought and wildfire conditions," PG&E Senior Vice President of Electric Operations Peter Kenny said in the press release. "If a power outage occurs, we are ready to safely restore power as quickly as possible to our hometowns and customers."
The stormy conditions are expected to continue until Thursday.
