Light rain coming to Southern California, with much colder temps and mountain snow later this week
A cold front moving into Southern California will bring gusty winds, rain and snow to Los Angeles County and surrounding areas over the coming days, marking the first storm system of the season.
The system moved into San Luis Obispo County on Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service in Oxnard. Most areas received less than a 10th of an inch of rain.
The front was expected to move into Santa Barbara and Ventura counties Tuesday evening before arriving in L.A. County between 10 p.m. and midnight, meteorologists said.
Forecasters don’t expect much activity overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday.
“This will be a low-impact rain event overall, with just a few hours of light showers in most areas,” meteorologists said.
Valleys and coastal areas could see drizzle or showers; the best chance of rain is in the foothills around the L.A. Basin, said Robbie Munroe, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Oxnard office.
Researchers say flooding from a 100-year storm could impact up to 1 million people in and around Los Angeles, 30 times more than previously estimated.
Only high peaks, at 7,000 feet or more, are expected to receive snowfall overnight Tuesday, Munroe said. That’s expected to change from Wednesday to Thursday, when altitudes of 3,000 feet may see snow, he said. High passes, like Interstate 5 through Gorman, could see snow accumulation.
“Much colder conditions” are expected behind the storm, as well as gusty winds, Munroe said.
Some areas could see the first frosts of the season Friday morning, with temperatures in the mid-30s expected in the Santa Clarita Valley and the upper 20s to low 30s in the Antelope Valley, he said.
Similar conditions are expected in the Inland Empire and Orange County, said Dan Gregoria, a meteorologist with the weather service’s San Diego office.
The area saw gusty winds Tuesday. Toro Peak in Riverside County recorded peak gusts of 49 mph, but there were no reports of significant damage or downed trees, Gregoria said.
A band of showers is expected to move across Orange County and the Inland Empire around midnight, he said.
Some locations in Orange County could see a quarter to a third of an inch of rain, Gregoria said. Most locations in the Inland Empire will receive a 10th of an inch or less.
The storm will move quickly, with most locations experiencing about an hour of rainfall.
Loss could have grave consequences for California wildlife, including protected species such as spotted owls and Pacific fishers.
Altitudes of 4,000 feet or higher may see snow Wednesday night into Thursday, Gregoria said.
Conditions in the San Bernardino County mountains are expected to be cold Wednesday night; Big Bear will have lows in the teens and gusts around 40 mph.
“It’s definitely going to feel like winter,” Gregoria said.
Wintry weather could remain an issue through Thursday morning in mountainous areas. Adam Roser, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego, said areas above 4,000 feet, including Big Bear and Idyllwild, could see up to an inch of snow from Tuesday through Thursday night. Higher elevations could receive even more, Roser said.
Cooler temperatures likely will stick around through the weekend, said Joe Sirard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Oxnard. Highs in the L.A. area Thursday and Friday are expected to stay in the 60s, “several degrees below normal” for this time of year.
Orange County will have highs mostly in the low 60s, Roser said. In Riverside and San Bernardino, highs Thursday will be in the upper 50s, while the mountains will drop into the 30s and 40s.
“It’s going to turn much cooler, especially later in the week,” Sirard said.
Sirard and Roser said temperatures Friday could drop into the mid-40s in the early morning for much of the region, to the 30s in parts of the eastern Inland Empire and high desert and even lower in the mountains.
“It’s going to be quite chilly here,” Roser said.
Temperatures are expected to rise slightly going into the weekend.
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