As AccuWeather meteorologists have warned since mid-January, the upcoming storm will trigger an atmospheric river that can bring rain heavy enough to trigger flooding, mudslides and major travel disruptions.

The storm will approach midweek after a potent winter storm pushes inland over British Columbia, producing showery rain and mountain snow in the Northwest into Tuesday.

This new storm will deliver a narrow zone of intense rain, or an atmospheric river, from well out over the Pacific and toward coastal areas of California. The firehose effect of rain will shift southward from Northern California on Wednesday to Southern California on Thursday.