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Weekend May Start With Rain

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

Southlanders hoping to soak up some sun during the three-day weekend may find themselves soaked with raindrops instead.

“The three-day weekend should start out kind of wet,” said Marty McKewon, a forecaster with WeatherData Inc., which forecasts weather for The Times.

There’s a 30% to 40% chance that showers will dampen Los Angeles streets and the coast Saturday, and a lesser chance of rain Sunday morning.

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A storm system that has been developing south of Baja California since Wednesday is expected to move into the Los Angeles area and continue to intensify, McKewon said. Some mountain areas could receive up to half an inch of rain over the weekend, but showers are expected to be light elsewhere, he added.

The rainfall would be the first in February, a month that averages 2.49 inches.

But the area is in the fifth year of a drought, and Los Angeles has received only 1.2 inches so far this year, 20% of the normal amount for the period.

By Monday, clouds should scatter, bringing plenty of sun, McKewon said.

“If I had to pick a day of the three, Monday would be the best day (to go to the beach),” McKewon said.

Last weekend, 80-degree temperatures pulled thousands of Southlanders from their homes to the sand. But this Saturday, rain combined with temperatures in the high 50s to low 60s should make the beach a lot less inviting.

“It’s not good,” said Capt. Bob Buchanan of the lifeguard station at Venice Beach, when he heard the weekend forecast.

Still, he expects crowds at county beaches on Monday, President’s Day. “They’ll be coming out,” Buchanan said. “Any time you have a holiday period, you get a number of people who are heading for the beach.”

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County beaches, including Santa Monica and Malibu, have seen consistent high attendance this year because rain has been scarce, Buchanan said.

Rain also is expected to reduce smog levels, which have been high for the past two days. First-stage alerts--meaning the air is unhealthful for everyone--are expected to be in effect today, an air quality official said.

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