Cool, Cloudy Days Due but Chance of Rain Isn’t Strong

A storm from the Gulf of Alaska is expected to move in over Idaho and Utah during the weekend, bringing Southern California cool, cloudy days--and a slight possibility of showers Saturday afternoon and evening, the National Weather Service said Thursday.

The forecasters stressed, however, that they do not really expect any rain here, unless the storm develops a little farther west than they think it will. In any event, the Southland coastal marine layer probably will thicken as a result of the system.

Mountains and deserts will have strong gusty winds.

It should remain partly cloudy and cool--and breezy at times--into the first of next week, with another chance of showers by Tuesday because of a second storm system drifting down from the northern Pacific.

Today’s Los Angeles Civic Center high is expected to be near 70, dropping off to around 65 by Saturday.

Thursday’s downtown high was 69. Relative humidity ranged from 80% to 41%.

Cooler Weather Due

In addition to windiness, Southern California mountain resorts should have high temperatures of from 52 to 62 today.

Highs in the upper deserts will be 62 to 72 today. In the lower deserts, peak readings will range from 75 to 84.

Saturday and Sunday will be sharply cooler in all areas, forecasters said.

It could snow in the mountains and rain a bit in the deserts early next week.

Along the shore today and Saturday, surf is expected to be two to three feet from Zuma Beach to Mission Beach.

Offshore, west to southwest winds of 12 to 18 knots should blow over inner waters from Point Conception to San Clemente Island and the Mexican border this afternoon and evening.

Over the outer waters from Point Conception to San Clemente and out 60 miles, west to northwest winds of 8 to 15 knots should become northwest at 12 to 18 knots this afternoon and evening. Combined seas will be four to eight feet.

“Extremely variable weather is expected in March” in Southern California, weather service specialist David Cooper said Thursday as February departed, with decreasing rains and “rapid changes from cool conditions to hot and dry.”

He pointed out that strong winds often occur during the month and that “blowing sand is a problem in some parts of the deserts.”

Little Rain Expected

Cooper said rains normally occur on only four to seven days of March in the coastal and mountain areas and on only two to five days in the deserts.

Total rainfall for the month is likely to range from less than .25 of an inch in the low deserts to more than 6 inches in the mountains. Normal March rainfall in the coastal and valley areas is two to three inches. Mountains frequently get a foot or so of new snow above the 5,000-foot level during the month.