Drizzle May Be a Precursor to Scattered Thunderstorms

A possible precursor to rains from the north, drizzle fell on some parts of Los Angeles County on Monday night.

Another cold front, similar to one that hit the area last week, is creeping down the California coast and will probably bring showers of the “hit-and-miss variety” to Los Angeles, said Rick Dittmann, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides The Times with weather forecasts.

“Areas from the coast to as far east as the desert could get a shot of this precipitation,” Dittmann said. “But with this type of system, the amount of rain is not going to be anything to break a drought.” The meteorologist said parts of Los Angeles may receive up to half an inch of rain from scattered showers and thundershowers expected to develop early today and continue until the evening.

Reports of Monday evening’s drizzle came from officials in Malibu, the West San Fernando Valley and Pasadena.

Pasadena Police Lt. Dave Harris said: “We had a little drizzle for about five minutes and that’s all. . . . But it smells like rain; smells good, in fact.”

The sprinkles may have come from a “really deep marine layer of fog and coastal low clouds,” Dittmann said. He added that the “real rain is yet to come.”

In addition to possible rain in the lowlands, up to six inches of snow may fall in Southern California’s mountains before the cold front blows south later this week, Dittmann said.