Rainy weather expected for weekend

For those of you who worked all week hoping for a sun-filled weekend, think again. Cloudy and rainy weather in the area are expected to last the weekend, and sunny skies aren’t forecast until Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

On Friday, rain fell lightly, but no major flooding or car accidents were reported as of 2 p.m. The rain is expected to be heaviest early Saturday, possibly causing debris flows and a potential for flooding in washes, low-lying areas, rivers and streams, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm could produce between three-quarters of an inch to an inch-and-a-half of rain in coastal and valley areas — and as much as an inch-and-a-half to three inches in the foothills and mountains, the service said in an advisory.

“Brief periods of heavy rain are possible with this system, and residents near burn areas should be prepared to take action should heavier rain develop,” the advisory said. “Thunderstorm activity cannot be ruled out, especially late Friday into Saturday.”

The snow level will start out between 6,000 and 6,500 feet Friday, then fall to around 5,000 feet by late Friday night, according to the service. Above 6,500 feet, between 6 and 12 inches of snow is likely to accumulate from late Friday through Saturday, service forecasters said. Several inches are also expected above 5,500 feet.

In addition to the rain and snow, the storm system is expected to create southeast-to-south winds, with gusts of between 45 and 55 mph likely, forecasters said.

Two weeks ago, a major winter rain storm hit Southern California, making its presence known by dropping more than 5 inches of rain in Orange County, the amount of rainfall usually generated in an entire six months in the region, forecasters said.

Fender-benders, flooding and erosion were brought about by the heavy storms, in which rain fell for six straight days.