More Rain Due, Then ‘Something Impressive’

The weak cold front that brought rain to Southern California on Thursday was being followed by another that may not clear out until late Saturday, forecasters said.

And that storm may give way to yet another about the first of the week.

“We’re looking for something pretty impressive to develop” on Monday or Tuesday, said meteorologist Rick Dittmann of WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts to The Times.

Subnormal Rainfall

Thursday’s front brought .33 of an inch of rain to the Los Angeles Civic Center by late afternoon. That made the season rainfall total 5.65 inches, compared to a normal season-to-date 8.35 inches. By Feb. 2 last year, the Civic Center had 7.73 inches.

Other rainfall amounts measured by 5 p.m. Thursday included .02 of an inch at Los Angeles International Airport; 03 at Culver City; .06 at Monrovia; .07 at Pasadena; .10 at Riverside; .02 at Santa Monica; .02 at Newport Beach and .16 at San Diego.

Thursday’s downtown Los Angeles high was 58 after an overnight low of 49. The high relative humidity was 100% and the low was 51%.

The National Weather Service said the system trailing Thursday’s front would bring a 50% chance of rain overnight Thursday, with rain likely through noon today. It should be partly cloudy tonight and Saturday, said the weather service, with an “increasing chance of showers” going into Sunday.

Wind Advisory

A wind advisory was issued through Saturday for the Southern California mountains and northern deserts, where winds 20 to 35 m.p.h. already were being reported Thursday. “Stronger gusts are possible,” said the weather service.

Motorists with high-profile vehicles were warned to drive carefully.

The cool weather and the rain fronts were the result of a high-pressure system in the upper atmosphere over the Gulf of Alaska, a low-pressure area off the Pacific Northwest coast and a south-turning branch of the Pacific jet stream that was coming in over the California coastline.