… An area of cooler low pressure — an extratropical cyclone — is spinning out off the coast of the Golden State. … For Sacramento and Fresno, it will be the first good rain — not a trace amount — since late spring. … As the cyclone moves over land Thursday, showers that were moving out of the south will flip and begin crashing in out of the north, this time with less energy and moisture to keep rainfall sustained for long. … Further up the mountains, several inches of snow are expected to begin stacking up across the Sierra above 8,000 feet, with the highest amounts between 3 to 6 inches. As temperatures continue to cool into the coming months, setups similar to this will become increasingly common as cool air from the north mixes with warm air from the south. 

Other California storm news:

• San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area rain forecast changes: Thursday now looks wetter, with thunderstorms possible
• Los Angeles Times: Rain triggers flooding, erosion concerns across SoCal. Could it stomp out fire season?
• KTLA (Los Angeles): Southern California storm brings flooding, debris flows and high surf