An atmospheric river event is expected to sweep through Central California this week, bringing heavy rain and high winds to Stockton.
At the beginning of 2023, Stockton experienced several atmospheric river storms that caused cars to submerge in floodwaters, homes to flood, and schools to close. While another is on the horizon, forecasters do not anticipate this storm as severe.
Atmospheric rivers are long, concentrated regions in the atmosphere that transport moist air from the tropics to higher latitudes. The moist air and high wind speeds produce heavy rain and snow upon landfall, especially over mountainous terrain. These weather events can lead to flash flooding, mudslides, and catastrophic damage to life and property, according to the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research.
In the Stockton area, the rain is expected to roll in Wednesday morning and will continue through Friday night, according to Karl Swanberg, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.
The forecaster expects Stockton to see up to 2 inches of rain between Wednesday and Friday.