Cold and unsettled weather will confront the Los Angeles area with the threat of showers and thunderstorms Wednesday on the second day of a weak storm out of the Gulf of Alaska, forecasters said.
Rainfall amounts through Wednesday evening will vary greatly, generally ranging between a 10th of an inch and a half-inch, but an inch of rain will be possible with any thunderstorm, according to a National Weather Service statement.
In the San Gabriel Mountains, snow levels will fall to between 5,500 and 6,000 feet during the day. Between 2 and 5 inches of snow may fall above 6,500 feet.
Minor mud and debris flows may occur down slopes denuded in wildfires, and gusty southwesterly winds will whip across the San Gabriel Mountains and the Antelope Valley, the statement said. Forecasters added that flows of mud and debris will be minor even in the case of a thunderstorm because it would be moving too fast to drench an area.
The chance of a thunderstorm in L.A. County Wednesday was set at 20 percent.
Light rain began falling in Los Angeles County around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, with the storm’s main band hitting around 2 p.m., according to the NWS. The top rainfall area in Los Angeles County through 7 p.m. was Opids Camp in the San Gabriel Mountains, where 0.73 of an inch fell.
Other rainfall totals included 0.24 of an inch at the Hollywood Reservoir, 0.21 at Getty Center, 0.20 at Hansen Dam, 0.18 in South Gate and Whittier, 0.17 in Santa Monica and 0.16 in Bel Air, Burbank, and Claremont. Palmdale and Lancaster registered only trace amounts.
Winds reached 52 mph in Poppy Park in Antelope Valley and 46 mph in Chatsworth Tuesday.
Rain is forecast to resume Wednesday, generated by the storm’s second pulse, according to the NWS. The rain is likely to begin in earnest Wednesday afternoon, and the storm is expected to be even weaker Wednesday than Tuesday, said NWS meteorologist Andrew Rorke.
Thursday will be dry, but a second weather system is expected to produce rain in Los Angeles County and showers in Orange County on Saturday, the NWS said. That system could generate between a quarter-inch and a half-inch of rain.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health , meanwhile, issued a cold weather alert and warned residents in mountain areas to take precautions through Wednesday in anticipation of cold temperatures.
Health officials said windchill temperatures in those areas could dip to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Residents are urged to dress in layers and wear hats and gloves, bring pets indoors at night, and never, ever use stoves, barbecues or ovens for heat.
“Children, the elderly and people with disabilities or special medical needs are especially vulnerable during such cold snaps,” said Dr. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser, the county’s interim health officer. “Extra precaution should be taken to ensure they don’t get too cold when they are outside.”
The NWS forecast rain in L.A. County Wednesday and highs of 55 on Mount Wilson; 60 in Palmdale and Lancaster; 61 in Avalon; 62 in Saugus; 63 at LAX; 64 in Pasadena, San Gabriel and Burbank; and 65 in Long Beach and Woodland Hills.
Temperatures will remain about the same until Sunday, when a slow warming trend will get underway. In the meantime, Thursday will be sunny but rain is forecast Saturday.
Showers are forecast in Orange County Wednesday, along with highs of 62 in Newport Beach and Laguna Beach; 63 in San Clemente; 65 in Mission Viejo; 66 in Irvine and Anaheim; 67 in Fullerton; and 68 in Yorba Linda. Temperatures will remain about the same until Tuesday, when a warming trend will begin. Sunny weather is forecast for Thursday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday.
