Rain, Sierra snow in the forecast

April showers finally may be on their way.

The scattered sprinkles that fell across the Valley over the weekend have cleared the way for some real rain later today. The National Weather Service is forecasting a “considerably wetter system” will swing through the region and bring much-needed moisture. The system is expected to hit late this evening and continue through Tuesday afternoon, bringing with it a half an inch to 1 inch of rain.

“Yesterday was breaking through the weather system. Tomorrow we should really get us cooking,” National Weather Service meteorologist Tom Dang said today. “This is the one that should really be the juicy one.”

Forecasts also call for a 25 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms, which could bring even more rain. The heaviest showers should come around commute hours Tuesday morning. Dang said drivers should be cautious on slick roads and take extra time to reach their destinations.

The rain in the Valley should also translate to snow in the Sierra Nevada. Dang said 7 to 15 inches of snow are expected at elevations above 3,500 to 4,000 feet. The highest peaks could collect as much as 2 feet of snow.

The news is particularly welcome given the state’s historic drought. A recent survey showed the snowpack, which supplies a third of the state’s water, at just 5 percent of the historical average for April 1. It’s also the lowest for that date since the state began keeping records in 1950.

Most of the rain should stop by Tuesday, with scattered occurrences Wednesday and warmer weather returning Thursday, Dang said.

“This is still a pretty typical winter storm, but we’ve seen so few of them of late, it’ll seem quite unusual,” he said.

This story was originally published April 6, 2015 at 2:25 PM with the headline "Rain, Sierra snow in the forecast."