We're on storm watch!
The first strong storm of the season is on its way to Kern County.
The first wave of the storm made its way into Kern on Monday.
This was pretty minor, with only light showers across the county.
Much heavier rain is expected Tuesday.
A heavy band of rain is expected to arrive in northwestern Kern in the morning hours, and push into Bakersfield from the late morning to early afternoon, before pushing into the mountains and desert.
Behind the main band of rain, waves of isolated to scattered showers and even thunderstorms are expected into Tuesday night.
This looks to be a good, soaking rain for much of Kern.
Rain totals in the Valley will range from 0.25" to 0.50", and mountain areas could pick up over an inch of rain, especially toward Lake Isabella.
Those higher totals could lead to some localized flooding, as well as rockslides.
Even desert communities could pick up up to half an inch of rain.
Remember to take it slow on wet roads and turn your headlights on if it's raining!
We'll see some snow from this system, too, but snow levels will stay pretty high.
The highest peaks in Kern above 6,500 feet could pick up a foot of snow or more, but the snow levels won't drop much below 4,000 feet.
That means snow accumulations on the passes will be minor, and not lead to travel issues.
Of course, this storm will come with strong winds gusting up to 50 miles per hour in eastern Kern, and cooler temperatures.
Skies will begin to clear Wednesday, and from there our weather looks calm into the weekend.
