Rain falls on a pedestrian on the University of Southern California campus on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, in Los Angeles.
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Rain falls on a pedestrian on the University of Southern California campus on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. / AP

Storms continue to surge into California and are expected to bring moderate to heavy rain and snow across the northern region of the state, the National Weather Service said.

The severe weather is forecasted to last from Wednesday to Friday and especially affect higher elevation areas, where high levels of precipitation could lead to runoff and excessive flooding in rivers, causing rapid flooding.

Total snowfall near the Sierra Nevada mountain range could range from one to three feet. High winds are expected in parts of California, Nevada, southern Oregon, and northwestern Arizona.

"High temperatures will continue to be below average for much of the West Tuesday-Wednesday, with highs in the 30s and 40s for the Northern Rockies/Great Basin and the 50s for most of California," the agency said.

Some of those highs could meet or break the record for the maximum temperature on those dates.

California has been deluged by storms this winter, hit by 12 atmospheric rivers that have led to evacuation orders, rising rivers and broken levees. In some parts of the Sierra Nevada, more than 55 feet of snow have fallen.

The heavy precipitation has helped California's drought, but has not been enough to reverse decades of water shortages.

On Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom requested a presidential major disaster declaration to provide aid for communities hit by the storms.

Meanwhile, quasi-stationary, or nearly stationary fronts, are expected to reach the Southeast early Wednesday morning, causing thunderstorms and rain that could fall at 1 to 2 inches every hour.

There is particularly an enhanced risk of flash flooding for the Gulf Coast, which has recently had lots of rain.

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