Thunderstorms, Coastal California
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Watch Artemis II splashdown live off California coast
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As much as 48 inches of snow could fall in the hardest-hit areas, with people told not to travel during the worst of the storm.
El Niño is the warming of the sea surface temperatures thousands of miles away from the Bay Area in the Equatorial Pacific.
"Mountain travel may be very difficult to impossible," the National Weather Service warned.
In Southern California, strong El Niños increase the likelihood of wet winters that replenish water supplies and reduce wildfire risk but can also unleash flooding and coastal erosion.
A weather shift, beginning late Friday and lasting through Sunday, matches the timeframe of the festival's first chapter. National Weather Service forecasters report cooler temperatures, clouds, wind and even a slight chance of light rain in the Coachella Valley over the weekend.