A wet, windy Christmas expected for Southland

The latest winter storm to hit Southern California is expected to dump 1 to 3 inches of rain today in coastal and valley areas and up to 5 inches of precipitation in the mountains.

“This storm is out of the Pacific Northwest,” said Stuart Seto of the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

“It was up around San Francisco and is gradually moving toward us,” he said. “We’ll probably see some showers out ahead of it, but the brunt of it will be on Christmas Day.”

There is a 70% chance of rain today, according to Bill Hoffer of the National Weather Service.

Wind advisories also are in effect until 4 p.m. today, with 35 mph winds predicted for coastal and valley areas and up to 70 mph winds in the mountains.

A flash flood watch through the morning was issued for areas burned in the recent wildfires.

Travelers passing through the Grapevine on Interstate 5 should watch for snow and icy roads.

“The Grapevine will be difficult. . . . Give yourself extra time,” Seto said.

The last time it rained on Christmas in Los Angeles was in 2003, he said.

Temperatures are about 10 to 13 degrees cooler than normal this week.

For much of the region, the temperature is predicted to hover around 49 degrees this morning and rise during the day to about 57, according to Seto.

The weather is expected to gradually warm up through the weekend, with a high of 67 predicted for Sunday.

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ari.bloomekatz@latimes.com