The latest U.S. drought monitor from March 1 showed that nearly 20 percent of California remains in severe drought, with moderate drought gripping about 50 percent of the state.
Areas from central to Southern California are being gripped by the worst of the drought, including the cities of Fresno, Los Angeles and San Diego.
San Diego received only 38 percent of its normal rainfall from December through February, and only about a quarter of an inch of rain has fallen so far in March.
Snowpack in the Sierra Nevada has been running well below normal this winter.
A storm system will bring rain and mountain snow to the Northwest and into Northern California late week but will largely miss the rest of the state.
Rain should arrive late in the day on Saturday and continue into Sunday morning, with the heaviest downpours expected Saturday night.
Between one half and 1 inch of rain is possible in the San Joaquin Valley and along the Grapevine, with a quarter to a half an inch of rain likely from Los Angeles to San Diego.
“Areas from Los Angeles to San Diego could receive beneficial rain from this system, which could help to put a dent in the drought and also raise the water level of area reservoirs,” according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Eric Leister.
Six to as much as 12 inches of snow can fall in the highest elevations of the Sierra, boosting the late-season ski industry and bringing the seasonal snowfall closer to normal.
“Dry conditions should return to kick off the upcoming week, but another storm system may target the region by the middle of the week,” Leister added.