Series of Storms Expected to Bring Rain to Southland

A procession of storms is marching across the Pacific, fully armed with the kind of rains that could mean real trouble in the parts of Southern California left unprotected by last summer’s brush fires, the National Weather Service said Wednesday.

The first of those storms was expected overnight.

Forecasters estimated the chance of rain at “near 100%” in the Los Angeles Basin and posted flash-flood watches for the burn areas in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

Meteorologists said there could be from two to four inches of rain in some places Wednesday night and this morning and advised anyone living below a burned hillside to be ready to “move to a safer location immediately,” without waiting for formal evacuation orders if rains become heavy in the area.

Some fast-moving air was forecast too. Travelers advisories were in effect for south winds gusting to 40 m.p.h. at times in the mountains, where the snow level was expected to drop below 5,000 feet overnight.

Surf was expected to rise to six feet at south-facing shores, such as Doheny State Beach at Dana Point.

By late Wednesday afternoon, rain was reported at Santa Barbara, Point Conception, in the Antelope Valley and Death Valley and in the Tehachapi and San Gabriel mountains.

Forecasters were predicting it would reach Orange County overnight, becoming “possibly heavy at times.” They said the rain should tail off to showers by this afternoon with the chance of rain decreasing to 20% by tonight.

“Possibly heavy” rains were expected to resume in Orange County on Friday but to end, along with the gusty winds, on Saturday. There is “a good chance of rain again” late Sunday or Monday, forecasters said.

Temperatures throughout the period should remain about the same, they said--highs in the low- to mid-60s and lows around 50.