Storm Expected to Bring Rain, Heavy Snow

A sluggish winter storm trudged slowly inland across Southern California on Thursday, prompting a forecast of intermittent showers for Orange County and heavy snow in the mountains.

Steve Burback, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times, said although only an inch or two of rain was expected in coastal valleys and foothill areas, as much as a foot of snow could fall at mountain resorts before the slow-moving storm leaves the area late Saturday or early Sunday.

Burback said that although the intensity of the storm at lower altitudes should be relatively moderate, with mostly sporadic showers along the coast today and Saturday, a deeper low-pressure system should lead to fairly continuous snowfalls at altitudes above 5,000 feet.

The National Weather Service cautioned that even though rainfall will generally be moderate, there may be isolated, heavy downpours in foothill canyons that could trigger mudslides where the soil remains saturated from the downpours that have hammered Southern California in recent weeks.

Winds at higher altitudes could gust to 35 m.p.h., the weather service said, and motorists were warned to expect hazardous conditions throughout the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains.

High pressure building up behind the departing storm should generate gusty, offshore Santa Ana winds by late Sunday or early Monday that will sweep the skies clear and keep things dry through much of next week, Burback said.

“But there’s a couple of other pretty good systems out there,” he said, “so there could be some more rain by the end of the week.”

Temperatures began dropping Thursday afternoon as the current storm, born a week ago over the frigid waters of the northern Pacific, finally reached the Southern California coast. Temperatures in Santa Barbara dipped into the low and mid-50s as rain began falling there about two hours before nightfall.

High temperatures in Orange County are expected to be in the upper 50s to middle 60s with lows of middle 40s to 50s. Burback said.

Burback said it should stay relatively cool today, Saturday and Sunday--with highs in Orange County in the upper 50s to middle-60s--before the Santa Ana winds blow in warm air Monday.