Storms to bring more rain, snow

Rain was expected to move into Southern California after midnight Sunday as the workweek approached, with the steadiest precipitation likely before 6 a.m. today, followed by an 80% chance of showers before 10 a.m.

After that, the chance of showers was expected to decrease gradually until Tuesday night, when a second, stronger storm is forecast.

“This one coming in Tuesday night will bring us some more rain that we need,” said weather specialist Stuart Seto of the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “The nice thing is it’s bringing snow to the mountains, especially at the resort levels.”

So far this rainy season, 4.2 inches of rain have fallen in downtown Los Angeles, more than the average 3.04 inches by this date.

The initial storm is likely to pass through the region quickly and leave no more than one-third of an inch of rain across most of Ventura and Los Angeles counties, Seto said. Forecasters were hopeful that flash floods and mudslides would not be a threat.

The storms were expected to bring weather cooler than normal for this time of year, but not as cold as during last week’s rain.

Much of the precipitation from the first storm is forecast to produce snow at 5,500 feet, where two to five inches of powder are likely to accumulate. Snow levels should drop to 4,500 feet by tonight.

Travelers should be able to get through mountain passes, although if it snows below the expected altitude, motorists could have trouble on Interstate 5 through the Grapevine, Seto said.

In the mountains tonight, sustained winds forecast at 30 to 40 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph, could create hazardous conditions.

In downtown Los Angeles, temperatures throughout the week will be about 10 degrees below normal for this time of year, with highs below 60, according to forecasts.

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howard.blume@latimes.com