Looking at a wet start to the New Year as low pressure sits off the California coast, drawing tropical moisture northward across the area. This will bring steady rain through tonight, accompanied by gusty southwest winds of 10-20 mph as lows cool to the upper 30s. Due to the warmer nature of this storm, the snow level will remain around 10,000 feet. Expect mostly cloudy skies on New Year's Day with rain continuing, a few thunderstorms are also possible. Temperatures will reach the upper 40s with southwest winds gusting 15-25 mph at times. Showers will taper off Thursday night as low pressure exits the region, giving us a chance to dry out on Friday. Daytime highs will remain in the 40s with lows in the 30s. Rainfall totals of 1-2 inches are likely through Thursday, with higher amounts on the lower coastal slopes. Another storm will approach the area Friday night with clouds and winds increasing once again. Expect more rain and snow over the weekend, with rain likely Saturday, lingering into Sunday. This storm should be a little cooler, but not by much with the snow level lowering to around 8,000 feet, where we could see a little snow at the top of our resorts. Troughing will remain in place across the West throughout much of next week with occasional disturbances moving through our area, bringing a chance of rain or snow showers at times. The snow level could finally lower to around 6,000 feet sometime early next week, but the exact details on timing and totals are unknown at this time. Regardless, if you have travel plans in the mountains, be prepared for winter weather driving and always carry those chains!