Los Angeles, CA – California heads into the December 13–26 holiday stretch with a pattern that heavily favors rain over snow for most of the state’s major population centers, according to new NOAA long-range outlooks. While the Sierra Nevada is likely to see significant snowfall, much of coastal and inland California remains on track for a mild, wet Christmas.
NOAA’s latest maps place nearly all of California inside an expansive “Above Normal” precipitation zone. This signals an active Pacific storm track, which typically sends multiple moisture-packed systems into the state. However, temperature trends make all the difference when it comes to snow potential — and this year, those trends lean warm.
Most of California, including Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, and the Central Valley, falls under a “Leaning Above Normal” temperature pattern. These mild temperatures will keep snow levels elevated, meaning precipitation from incoming systems will fall overwhelmingly as rain across coastal and valley regions.
According to NOAA meteorologists, this pattern is typical for wet Decembers influenced by Pacific storms:
– Heavy snow for the Sierra
– Rain for almost everywhere else
The Sierra Nevada, particularly areas above 6,000 feet, is expected to receive several rounds of accumulating snow — potentially heavy at times — as colder upper-level air interacts with incoming storms. This could create hazardous travel conditions across I-80 at Donner Pass, Highway 50, and Highway 88.
Farther south, mountain communities in Southern California — including Big Bear, Wrightwood, and the San Bernardino Mountains — may see some snow depending on snow levels, but confidence remains low given the warmer temperature outlook.
For the majority of Californians living along the coast and in the valleys, the holiday period is shaping up to be mild, wet, and free of snow — consistent with the broader warm, stormy pattern NOAA projects for the West Coast.
Residents planning Sierra travel should prepare for possible heavy snow and regularly check forecasts as December approaches.
