Our first major storm of the season will move into the region on Tuesday bringing gusty winds, with rain, snow, and thunderstorms. The low is forecast to roll inland just to our north, with a strong south to south-southwesterly flow developing out ahead of it. This will push a strong cold front south through the area, exiting Tuesday night. The wildcard remains the snow level, while this appears to primarily be a rainmaker for most mountain communities, we could see some snowfall on the tail end of the system as it departs, though heaviest accumulations will remain confined above 8,000 feet where a half a foot or more is possible! Expect increasing clouds and winds through Tuesday morning with showers developing, south to southwest winds 15-25 mph with gusts near 35 pm. Rain and snow showers could become heavy at times late morning through the afternoon as the frontal boundary moves through the area, a few strong to severe thunderstorms are also possible. Cold and windy with highs in the 40s. We could see a rain-snow mix throughout the day, changing to snow during the afternoon as colder air arrives behind the front. The snow level could finally drop back down around 5,500 feet Tuesday night as showers taper off. Travel safely and carry chains! Rainfall amounts of 1-2 inches are likely in most areas, with locally 3 inches on the lower coastal slopes, where a flash flood watch is in effect, especially below recently burned areas. A couple inches of snow are also still possible above about 6,000 feet, with higher totals at resort level. As skies clear later Tuesday evening, expect a chilly night with lows in the mid to lower 20s, our first hard freeze of the season. High pressure will slowly build back over the region during the second half of the week, bringing a return to more seasonal fall weather by the weekend.