FRESNO, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – A bomb cyclone, currently forming over the Pacific, is set to inundate the West Coast and deluge the Central Valley with possible inches of rain.
The storm is predicted to rapidly intensify over the northern Pacific on Tuesday when the low-pressure system will undergo bombogenesis – a term used by meteorologists to describe when the barometric pressure drops 24 millibars in 24 hours .
This “bomb cyclone” will then gradually travel south, drenching the northern Pacific before making its way to the Central Valley.
Although it is expected to die down some by the time it reaches Central California on Friday night, the National Blend of Model (NBM) predicts over two inches of rain to fall over Fresno by the end of the weekend – which equates to over 54,000 gallons of water an acre.
Despite the NBM predicting a deluge, some independent models forecast the Valley will receive as little as a third of an inch of rain.
Regardless of the predicted precipitation, higher elevations may not see any rain – but instead, an onslaught of snow. According to forecasts, snow is expected at elevations greater than 8,000 feet, which includes the likes of the top of Half Dome, and the upper half of China Peak .