Cold Front Expected to Bring Rain, Snow to Region

Another storm from the Gulf of Alaska will bring a taste of winter to the Southland today, with variable rainfall across the Los Angeles Basin and snow as low as 2,500 feet in the mountains, the National Weather Service said Thursday.

“Due to very cold air aloft, thunderstorms could produce some small hail,” the weather service said. “The cold air mass should help destabilize the atmosphere somewhat, and there could be some waterspouts and cold air funnels.”

Across Orange County, a deep marine layer ahead of the front is likely to bring early-morning drizzle, said Ted MacKechnie, a meteorologist with the weather service’s San Diego office. The chance of showers is 30% through the day, increasing to 50% in late afternoon.

Because the weather system is moving slowly, MacKechnie said, the rain is likely to linger through Saturday morning. Temperatures will be cool, he said, with Saturday’s highs only in the upper 50s.

Heavy surf atop high tides will pose a threat of flooding tonight and early Saturday in low-lying areas of Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, the weather service said.

Light sprinkles that began falling Thursday afternoon in Santa Barbara County should intensify as the storm system moves eastward into Los Angeles County before dawn today.

Between 0.25 and 1.25 inches of rain was expected in the Los Angeles Basin by nightfall, with the heaviest amounts along the foothills of the Santa Monica, San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains, said Guy Pearson, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times.

“In some areas, there will be periods of steady rain, probably lasting an hour or more, with showers lasting into the night and possibly into Saturday morning,” Pearson said.

Pearson said the snow level tonight would be near 4,000 feet in most areas, but the weather service said it could drop to 2,500 feet near Gorman, which could tie up traffic on Interstate 5 for early weekend travelers. Pearson said 2 to 5 inches of snow were expected at resort levels.

Sunday probably will be partly cloudy, breezy and a little warmer, forecasters said.