Temperatures are expected to start dipping Thursday as a cold storm out of Alaska makes its way into Southern California, with light to moderate rain expected to fall across much of the area Friday into Saturday, and potentially heavy snow falling in higher mountain elevations.
Much of the region will likely be covered by clouds Thursday morning, accompanied by patchy drizzle in some areas.
"The clouds should be slow to clear Thursday afternoon with partly to mostly cloudy skies expected for the coast and valleys," according to the National Weather Service. "Breezy to gusty west to southwest winds should affect the area by Thursday afternoon. Temperatures will turn cooler to several degrees below normal on Thursday as highs in the upper 50s to mid 60s will be common over the coast and valleys."
The brunt of the storm system is not expected to reach Los Angeles County until Friday afternoon. While the bulk of the rain with the storm front will likely fall in areas north of the county, temperatures will fall even more, settling about 5 to 10 degrees below normal. Most coastal and valley areas will only be in the mid 50s to low 60s, forecasters said.
"This system is colder than previous stronger storms, not tapping into tropical moisture and rainfall amounts will be less," according to the NWS. "The latest additional rainfall estimates for Friday night thru Saturday night are for 0.25 to 1 inch to fall, with 1 to 2 inches in southwest facing slopes."
Snow levels will fall to about 6,000 feet Friday night, then dip to 5,000 feet by late Saturday, and as low as 4,000 feet Saturday night and early Sunday. Forecasters said 5 to 10 inches could fall at elevations above 7,000 feet, with 2 to 5 inches possible between 5,500 and 7,000 feet. Lighter accumulations are expected at lower elevations, with forecasters saying the Grapevine section of the Golden State (5) Freeway "should be minimally impacted by snow."
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Much of the storm system should exit the area by Sunday, although it will leave some gusty winds behind, particularly in wind-prone areas such as the 5 Freeway corridor.
"Temperatures will remain significantly below normal through the extended period, with the coldest days expected to be on Saturday/Sunday," forecasters said.
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