We're coming off a strong storm system here in Kern, with another right around the corner.
Thunderstorms brought lightning, hail, and flooding rains to Kern County on Thursday.
Bakersfield picked up 0.80" inches of rain between Thursday and early Friday, putting us up to 3.41" for the water year, which is just a touch above average for this point in the season.
A few additional showers will be possible Friday evening, before a mostly calm Saturday.
Our weather will ramp up again Saturday night into Sunday.
Strong winds and heavy rain are the main concerns with our next storm system.
Winds will increase late Saturday night, and be strong all through the day Sunday.
Gusts could exceed 40 miles per hour in the Valley, and 60 miles per hour through the Grapevine.
This level of wind can bring down branches and trees, which may result in power outages.
Winds will begin to diminish Sunday night.
Rain will start up in Kern late Saturday night too, but will mainly affect mountain areas at first.
Gusty south winds should bring a strong rain shadow, with little rain accumulation expected in the Valley until the winds shift Sunday evening.
Rain will then linger county wide until at least Monday.
Models still disagree slightly on the exact timing of the heaviest rain, and how long it will last.
Still, rain totals look high for most of Kern.
Valley and desert areas look to receive between 0.75" and 1.25".
Most mountains spots will pick up at least an inch, with areas toward Frazier Park and the Grapevine picking up between 2 and 3 inches.
Totals this high means flooding impacts are likely.
Flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas, as well as mud and rock slides through our mountain areas and the Kern Canyon are all possible.
Much like our last storm, snow will not be a big factor.
Snow may mix in over the passes Saturday night, but little accumulation is expected before snow levels rise.
Areas above 5,000 feet may get a few inches of snow initially, but snow levels look to rise to close to 8,000 feet by Sunday afternoon.
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