Scattered showers moved into Southern California Tuesday, kicking off a series of late-winter storms expected to bring heavier rainfall Wednesday and Thursday and lingering into Friday.
“Through tonight, rainfall … is expected to range from one-third to two-thirds of an inch from the coast to the mountains with local amounts exceeding one inch in the mountains,” according to the National Weather Service.
A cold front will move over the area overnight Wednesday into early Thursday, bringing a storm with potential flooding.
“Lighter precipitation will develop on Wednesday with the with the most likely time for more widespread and heavier precipitation with the cold front for late Wednesday night into Thursday morning,” the NWS said.
Forecasters are predicting a three-hour to six-hour period of moderate to heavy rain at that time, with a half-inch to 1 inch per hour. This system will also likely be the biggest snow maker of the season, with 1 to 2 feet of snow forecast for higher elevations.
“Steady rain will turn to showers Thursday. The snow levels will drop to around 3,000 ft and a few inches of snow is possible over the Grapevine and other lower elevations passes,” the NWS said.
From Wednesday through early Friday, rainfall totals could reach around one inch along the coast and 2 to 3 inches in the mountains.
Stronger, gusty southwest to west winds will develop Wednesday night and continue through Thursday night, the NWS said.
Cooler temperatures are expected all week, with daytime highs dropping to around 60 degrees in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday and Wednesday and around 55 on Thursday and Friday. Overnight lows will generally be in the 40s and lower 50s, but will drop into the 30s on Thursday and Friday in the mountains and the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valley.
A weaker storm system moving inland to the north on Friday could keep some showers going into Friday night, according to forecasters. However, things dry out and warm up for the weekend.