Pacific Storm May Provide a Rainy Day for Southland

It won’t be a deluge by any means, but Southern California will get its heaviest rainfall since early summer today or Friday if forecasters’ predictions pan out.

The much needed rain is being borne by a huge, soggy storm system lumbering in from far out in the southwest Pacific, said Meteorologist Marty McKewon of WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times. The storm is expected to drop half an inch or more rain in coastal areas and an inch or more in the mountains, he said.

“The last time it rained was Dec. 12, when you had a whopping trace,” McKewon pointed out.

Between July 1 and Wednesday, there had been 0.21 of an inch of rain at the Los Angeles Civic Center, compared with 1.52 inches during the same period last year, according to the National Weather Service.

The state has been plagued by a drought for several years. Under normal conditions, there would have been as much as 4.5 inches of rain downtown by this time, according to McKewon.

The storm system was being preceded by a heavy cloud cover that helped to moderate temperatures Wednesday. The mercury peaked at 67 degrees at the Civic Center.

Sprinkles were reported over a wide area of the Southland late Wednesday night, but the brunt of the storm is not expected until this afternoon, McKewon said.

“This system does have quite a bit of moisture, the forecaster said. “It will have a significant impact on most of the United States (as it moves eastward).

“It is the best chance of rain across California in the past three or four months.”

The South Pacific-born system is not expected to bring a lot of cold air or high winds, like the Arctic storms more normal for this time of year. In fact, the snow level is expected to be no lower than 8,000 feet in the local mountains.

High temperatures, McKewon predicted, would remain in the 60s throughout the region today and Friday with the possibility that some areas will post readings in the low 70s. Overnight lows are expected to be in the 40s and 50s.

After the storm passes, a ridge of high pressure is expected to build over the state bringing back mostly clear, or at least partly sunny skies. The weekend, McKewon said, is expected to be dry.