Updated at 6:30 a.m., May 6, 2015
High winds whipped across the Antelope Valley for a second straight day Wednesday as a storm took aim at the Southland.
After a lull develops Wednesday morning, southwest winds of between 20 and 30 miles per hour will blow across the area, generating 45-mph gusts, according to a National Weather Service statement.
Even 55-mph gusts are possible in the foothills, according to the NWS, which said the strongest winds Wednesday would occur in the afternoon and evening.
A wind advisory issued Tuesday for the Antelope Valley is scheduled to expire at 9 p.m.
Forecasters warned that the wind would create challenging conditions on the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway and Pearblossom (SR 138) Highway, with blowing sand and dust severely restricting visibility and the drivers of high-profile vehicles having to cope with gusty crosswinds.
Strong winds were recorded in the Antelope Valley overnight, including a 50-mph gust at Lake Palmdale and a 38-mph gust at Poppy Park.
The next weather challenge to face the region will be rain.
Forecasters said an unseasonably cold storm system out of British Columbia is headed southward and expected in Southern California beginning Wednesday night, staying around through Friday.
A slight chance of showers will develop late Wednesday night, lingering into Thursday morning. As the main low-pressure system draws closer, there will be an increased chance of showers from Thursday afternoon through Friday morning, they said. At the same time, there will also be a chance of thunderstorms capable of producing heavy downpours and hail.
“There is the possibility that the Los Angeles metro area could be impacted by showers and hail during the Thursday evening and Friday morning commute,” according to an NWS statement.
Also possible as a result of the impending storm are isolated waterspouts across coastal waters, it said.
The storm could also cause the snow level to dip to unseasonably low levels, forecasters said. The snow level could fall to around 5,000 feet late Thursday and possibly lower. A few inches of snow is possible at resort levels as a result of the storm, which may be accompanied by winds of up to 50 mph in the mountains and Antelope Valley, they said.
Rainfall amounts will vary, according to the NWS. Up to a half-inch per hour may be possible with any thunderstorm.
“If a thunderstorm were to move over a recent burn area, there is the possibility of minor mud and debris flows,” warned an NWS statement, which urged people planning to travel through mountain areas to prepare for snow showers and gusty winds.
The NWS forecast drizzle Wednesday and highs of 61 in San Clemente; 63 in Avalon, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and at LAX; 64 in Mission Viejo and San Gabriel; 65 in Burbank, Saugus and Irvine; 66 in downtown L.A., Yorba Linda, Anaheim, Pasadena, Woodland Hills and Long Beach; 67 in Fullerton; and 70 in Palmdale and Lancaster.
Thursday’s temperatures will be a few degrees lower amid showers, which will persist through Friday. Sunny weather is expected to return Saturday.
—City News Service