Rain and Wind Expected as Storm Bears Down on L.A.

A storm system the National Weather Service is hoping will bring no more than spring showers began moving into Southern California early today with light rain falling from the San Fernando Valley to midtown Los Angeles.

The winterlike trough of low pressure from the Gulf of Alaska will bring rain and winds “but nothing ferocious,” a forecaster said Tuesday.

Unless the storm intensifies as it dips south down the Pacific Coast, most parts of the Los Angeles Basin should get no more than an inch of rain, the weather service said.

If true, that would leave Los Angeles’ total to date (now 11.2 inches) still below the season average of 13.03.

The early indications Tuesday, however, were that we may be in for a surprise. The same weather system brought moderate to heavy rain, hail and snow to Northern and Central California.

Light snow fell north of San Francisco, and accumulations of three inches were reported at Redding.

A spokesman for the state Flood Information Center said snow was falling at altitudes as low as 300 feet along the North Coast, in the wine country north of Napa and in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

Heavier snow fell in the foothills and mountains, temporarily closing some lanes of such Northern California and trans-Sierra highways as Interstate 5, Interstate 80 and California 299.

The front brought relatively strong winds and cold temperatures to most areas of Northern and Central California. Winds up to 45 m.p.h. were reported in Sacramento.

At sea, gale warnings were up from Point Arena north, with winds expected to gust to 45 m.p.h.

Cooler Temperatures

Farther south, winds were expected to top off at around 35 m.p.h today as the front moves through Southern California.

It will be cooler here, with highs between 56 and 64 expected at most Southern California points and overnight lows ranging from 44 to 54.

The front is likely to have passed through the state by Thursday morning, with skies turning partly cloudly and gradually clearing, forecasters said.

A warming trend will begin Thursday, and the extended outlook appears promising for the weekend: Clear skies and highs in the low 70s.