More rain fell across the Southland Thursday as yet another storm moved into a region already saturated from a precipitation-rich weekend, but forecasters said drier conditions are on the horizon.
Light rain began falling in some areas by midday — slightly ahead of earlier forecasts — but the heaviest precipitation was not expected until Thursday night in Los Angeles County.
“For the second part of the storm tonight into Friday models have been consistent showing a very favorable severe weather threat across LA County, and in particular the southern part of the county,” according to the National Weather Service. “… Periods of heavy rain are likely at times overnight in LA County and high resolution models continue to indicate a 10-20% chance of rain rates reaching 1 inch per hour.”
The heaviest rain is expected to decrease by Friday morning, but scattered showers are possibly throughout the day “with rain rates generally a quarter-inch per hour or less,” forecasters said. There is a chance that additional showers could still develop Saturday, primarily on north-facing mountain slopes.
The NWS issued a flood watch that will be in effect from 10 p.m. Thursday through Friday morning for most of the Los Angeles area, with forecasters noting that rainfall rates nearly 1 inch per hour are possible and could trigger flooding or debris flows, particularly since the ground is already saturated from earlier storms.
The NWS also issued a winter storm watch that will be in effect through Sunday morning for the San Gabriel Mountains and the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway corridor, noting that as many as 8 inches of snow could fall above 6,000 feet, accompanied by winds gusting up to 40 mph.
Local authorities will again be keeping their eyes on recent burn areas for possible debris and mud flows. In the past five days, according to the NWS, downtown Los Angeles received 3.47 inches of rain, East Pasadena received 4.43 inches of rain and Mt. Baldy received 6.58 inches of rain.
The latest storm was expected to drop a half-inch to an inch of rain in coastal and valley areas, with 1 to 2 inches falling in the mountains and foothills.
The unsettled weather system is expected to exit to the east on Saturday. According to the NWS, temperatures should climb back into the normal range by Sunday, with highs in the mid-60s to mid-70s.
“Little change expected through the Thanksgiving holiday,” forecasters said. “Not seeing any significant signals for rain through at least Black Friday.”