The second of a series of storms will come though the region Friday with showery conditions off and on through the weekend, before another potentially scary wet storm hits our area Monday. Friday’s storm is fairly cool, with snow levels reaching close to the valley floors, but I don’t expect significant accumulation until you get above 5,500’. High temperatures will only reach the mid-40s before rebounding to the 50s Saturday and Sunday.

After scattered showers Saturday and Sunday, another very wet atmospheric river moves back onshore Monday, with localized flooding once again a possibility, especially in NE California. Heavy rain with snow above 6,500-7,500’ will once again cause many of the local rivers (such as the Feather) to flood, and although the Truckee River will rise to fairly high levels, it is not expected to exceed flood stage.

More on contrails: The ability to see contrails on any given day depends on how close to saturation the atmosphere is up at 30-40,000’ of elevation. When the air up there is very dry, contrails won’t form… or else they evaporate almost immediately.

But just because the skies are blue, that doesn’t mean that the air is especially dry up there. It just means it isn’t saturated. Tomorrow, what persistent contrails mean.